Hello Everyone,

Today I would like to speak with you about best practices for securing your home wireless network from potential intruders. These simple few best practices will make your wireless network more secure and provide you with peace of mind that no one is using your internet connection.

Wireless Password Strength

Default MTS and Shaw modems come with a pre-generated 10-digit wireless password. While this seems complex it is relatively easy to break using number brute force (generating every potential pattern). In testing the password could be determined within 1 to 2 days. The simple fix for this is to change your wireless password to a combination of capital, lower case, number and special character (!,#,$ etc.) password of 10 characters or more. The longer the password the better. Do not use words or easy to guess passwords such as “Mrfluffy123”. This simple change will make it almost impossible to brute force your wireless password.

Wireless Network Type

Always use WPA2 or greater when available. Never use WEP password encryption.

Wireless Network Name / SSID

It is recommended to hide the SSID so that your network is not advertised.

Wireless Router

Always make sure your wireless router is up to date with the latest firmware. Most consumer routers will check for updates on your behalf and notify you on login.

Period Device Review

Periodically check your routers DHCP table to make sure the devices listed match known devices within your network. If you notice something strange immediately block it from the network.

I hope that some of these simple recommendations help you with your home network.

Please contact our IT Services wing to learn more about security alerts and best practices. If you found this information helpful or have any security tips of your own, let us know!