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How secure is your home WiFi network? It’s important to protect yourself from malware, Internet of Things (IoT) scams and other attempts to steal personal information, but taking all the necessary steps to bolster WiFi with weak security can be confusing and overwhelming.
Spectrum Security Shield can go a long way to improving WiFi security. Below you can learn more about the benefits of Spectrum Security Shield and how it can counteract common threats to home WiFi networks.
While many pay monthly fees to protect against malicious sites, Spectrum Security Shield is an included feature of Spectrum Advanced WiFi. It’s Spectrum’s built-in security that helps monitor Internet traffic and block threats before they even reach your WiFi devices.
You can also download the top-rated support app, My Spectrum App, to manage your Security Shield preferences and see the scammers and sites that have been blocked.
For the most comprehensive security protection, Spectrum Internet customers also have free access to Security Suite. Security Suite offers the fastest protection against viruses, spyware and other malicious software for computers and laptops.
You may be wondering about how secure WiFi is in the first place. While it depends on your home network and Internet provider, the more protective steps you can take against cybersecurity threats, the better.
If someone were to gain access to your WiFi network, they could attempt to steal your personal information, initiate ransomware to block access to a computer system or launch other harmful attacks.
Here are a few of the most common WiFi security risks to keep in mind:
- Unauthorized Access Points – Hackers may try to set up an unauthorized access point in range of a WiFi network to try to fool authorized devices into associating with the rogue access point. Attackers usually need access to a physical port to be successful, so home WiFi networks are more protected against this kind of threat. Even so, Security Shield features IoT security through Smart Device Protection, which monitors devices like smart thermostats, speakers and more for unusual connection activity. Security Shield blocks the activity when identified.
- Outbound Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attacks – DoS attacks occur when bad actors attempt to disrupt a network by flooding it with too much traffic. Security Shield provides IoT device security in part by keeping connected devices in the home from participating in a DoS attack.
- Freeloading – An authorized user might try to gain free access to home WiFi networks. Typically less threatening than other WiFi security risks, it might still slow down connection speeds or lead to illegal spam being downloaded via your mail server. Through the My Spectrum App, Spectrum Advanced WiFi lets you view all devices connected to your home network to ensure only authorized users have access.
The reality is that hackers and cybercriminals are everywhere, so having proper home WiFi security in place helps safeguard against such threats.
Spectrum Security Shield helps make Spectrum Internet® more secure in a number of ways. From user protection to WiFi device protection and DoS prevention blocks, Spectrum Security Shield increases WiFi security by preventing over ten million threats per day across the Advanced WiFi router population.
Spectrum Security Shield features Secure Browsing, which helps prevent you from visiting websites that could be harmful. You might see the Security Shield icon appear on your browser when Security Shield blocks a malicious website.
As mentioned, Spectrum Security Shield also includes WiFi device protection:
- Secure Traffic – Security Shield will block communication between Internet scammers and your devices using IP addresses to identify who is trying to access devices on the network.
- Smart Device Protection – For homes with smart devices such as speakers or security cameras, Security Shield will monitor their activity. If there’s any connections that appear out of the ordinary, Security Shield will block threats and report them to the My Spectrum App.
- Outbound DoS Prevention – Security Shield will block outgoing network traffic if it is associated with a denial-of-service attack. This type of attack can slow your Internet down to a crawl, and is usually due to a malware-infected device on your network.
Protecting yourself from online threats can be tough to do on your own. But with Spectrum Security Shield, it’s easy to make your Spectrum Internet more secure. Get complete control over your home WiFi network when you add Spectrum Advanced WiFi service, with Spectrum Security Shield built in.