Many people take the router very for granted since the time of instalment. It is the case of almost every person. We assume the router is working perfectly exactly like the first day of its instalment. This attitude of ours towards the router can be the reason for a hacked router. Yes, just like accounts or any other device the router also gets hacked by hackers. They try to break your network and wreck it and you won’t even realize it.
First, you have to check if your router has been hacked. Then there are some steps by which you can fix your hacked router and protect your Wi-Fi connection. Here, we will discuss in brief everything about fixing a hacked router.
Signs your router has been hacked
- Your router login is not working anymore
- Your network receives a list of the foreign IP address
- Software’s are installed without your permission
- You are receiving fake anti-virus messages
- Internet Service provider reaches out
- Your router ID and password will be changed
You may notice any one of the signs or you can also find the maximum of the above-mentioned signs that shows your network has been hacked. It completely depends on the hacker. if the hacker just wants to access your account the only sign you may see is a listing of foreign addresses and slower speed. If the hacker is up to more than just accessing other signs may also be noticeable.
Fixing of the hacked router
By taking simple precautions with your WiFi router hacking your router can be made much difficult. Here are few steps you can follow to fix your Hacked router.
Step 1. Disconnect your Internet
As soon as you realize that your router is hacked disconnect the router from your internet so that the hacker is unable to access the router as there will be no connectivity.
Step 2. Reset your router
Factory reset will enable your router to reset your settings and password. By performing a factory reset you will remove all the configurations and your router setting will be in a new state or default setting. You will get the information about resetting your router from the manual. The default user id and password will be given in the sticker of your router. You can also follow that.
You may also need to press a small recessed button with a paper clip as some routers have the button.
Step 3. Change your admin password after logging in
After having a factory reset log in to your router with the default credentials given in the user manual. After you log in with the default credentials, you have to change the password immediately, and it should be long and complex.
Step 4. Create a new SSID for your network
By creating SSID you will create a name for your Wi-Fi network. The default SSID name of your router may be the brand name. Keeping the name for a long time is not safe as it can be an easy guess for hackers. Set new and strong, complex, and long SSID names for your router. Shorter names can easily be cracked by hackers. The same rule applies to setting your password. Password should be unique and too complex to be discovered by hackers.
- Create a guest network
The guest network is an additional network on your router that allows internet access to the devices but without sharing your primary network. This network works well when you have guests or relatives in your house and they want to use your wifi.
- Update the firmware
Most of the routers do not automatically update their firmware. In that case, any update needs to be done by you while you are logged in. Go to the routers manufacturing website and go to the downloads section. Download the latest version of firmware to prevent the hacker and their exploiting intentions.
Security tips to avoid being the target of hackers
Along with the ability to fix a hacked router, you should also know how to prevent being the prey of hackers. Some of the tips are to prevent hacking are given below:
- Get rid of the networks you don’t need from your network list
PNL or the preferred network list is a list of Wifi networks your device automatically trusts. This network list is created from the networks you connect to often. Your device cant recognize between the secured network and insecure network as they share the same name. For example, if you are connecting to the Barista site even for a single time your device will put the site in its memory and next time it will connect to a network with the same name. Windows gives you the option to delete your preferred network by heading to “Manage unknown networks”. Click on ‘Forget’ on the networks you don’t want to connect automatically. You should also remove all open wifi networks from your device.
- Use VPN
Usage of any trusted VPN is necessary for your network to keep it safe from any kind of malware attackers. The attackers who record the traffic and decrypt it after knowing the password will spy on the traffic of local networks. VPN will make your internet much safer and private for your Wifi. It makes it harder for the attackers to watch and record what their target is doing online. They also have an intention to redirect WiFi users to malicious websites. To encrypt your local traffic the VPN will come up with a protective shield for your wifi so that you don’t be the prey of the attackers.
- Restrict using hidden networks
A genuine wifi access point sends information (SSID and encryption) to the nearby devices so that they can find out and get connected to the wifi. On the contrary, hidden networks do not send any information. Some smart users think that if they hide their network they will be more secured but the truth is that if you hide your wifi network it becomes easy to track all your smart devices.
If your network is kept hidden, then your devices will call out the name of your hidden wifi to get connected which will make it easy for the trackers to track them. A hidden network not only makes it easy for the trackers but also permits the attackers to track your presence through radio signals your smartphone or other smart device is sending to get connected.
- Never reuse Password for WIFI
Weak password makes tracking easy for attackers. If you are given a common or worst password it’s quite obvious for the hackers to trace your password in few minutes. Never use weak passwords. It should be strong unique and complex so that the tracker can never guess or find it out. Don’t use similar passwords in other accounts then it will be much easy for the tracker to guess the password.
Conclusion
The information given here will surely give you some idea about the hacking of routers and how to prevent the hacking. Use your internet safely and with the required precautions.
FAQs
Just changing the password can the hacked router be fixed?
Just changing the password cannot fix the hacked router. There are more steps mentioned above. Complete the process to fix a hacked Wi-Fi
Should we take instant action if one sign of hacking is noticed?
As soon as you notice even a single sign of hacking start the fixing procedure instantly.
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