Six easy ways to secure your WiFi network

Any company is exposed to risks if it does not secure its WiFi networks. Overview of the initiatives to be taken to better protect them.

If Wi-Fi has brought more flexibility in the company, it has also provided hackers with an additional gateway to its data, hence the need to secure it … as much as possible. “There is no infallible security”, warns Gwenaël Letellier, head of the Digital Risk Monitor division at Intrinsec, an expert in computer security. “It is a question of setting up the maximum of barriers to deter attacks”. Here are the main ones:

1. Set up time restrictions

"Introduce a cut off of Wi-Fi access in companies outside office hours, this prevents access without your knowledge and this limits the period during which attacks can Most Boxes have a feature that allows you to cut off the Wifi or allow you to program time slots during which access is authorized.

2. Change router password

By default, the Wifi router already has a password. The catch is that hackers have public databases that include default passwords as well as manufacturer usernames. A godsend if you want to modify the security settings of the router to access it.

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In addition, the name of the network, the SSID or "Service Set Identifier", often contains, by default, that of the manufacturer. It could therefore be easy for a hacker to identify it if he wants to target a specific company. In addition, it is common for the router model to be listed there as well. Nothing could be easier for the hacker to find out about the security flaws of the said router. That's why it's better to complicate the task for him by changing the name of the network.

3. Keep the router up to date

If hackers are aware of the flaws of different brands, fortunately it happens to router manufacturers to plug the gaps with updates. However, unlike many software, these are not necessarily automatic. You must therefore check their availability yourself on the router interface.

4. Managing network access

Each device intended to be connected to a network has a MAC address, a code made up of 12 characters serving as a hardware identifier. In theory, filtering would only allow certain MAC addresses to connect to corporate WiFi. But in practice, it is very easy for a hacker to change MAC addresses.

To establish authentication in a company, the ideal is to use a digital certificate. "It's a fairly effective protection that will make it possible to limit the number of devices since it is necessary to deploy the certificates on the devices that want to connect. Moreover, it is complicated to replicate for an attacker."

5. Protect your data

A cybercriminal can intercept your data transmission through the wireless network. The encryption key helps protect their data even if the cybercriminal succeeds. Indeed, if he will have access to the data he will not be able to exploit them because they will be indecipherable. The most recent encryption standard is also the most widely used: WPA2. "You have to realize that breaking the encryption is always possible if you take the time", warns Gwenaël Letellier.

6. Monitor network traffic

"With Wifi, especially in urban or peri-urban areas, you don't necessarily realize if someone is trying to access the network, so you have to try to set up traffic monitoring to identify abnormal usage. ".