If you are a Unite6 customer, our filtering package has the ability to cover all pupil devices whilst outside of the school network, meaning you can filter your pupils online content both at school and from their homes.
Below are Seven quick tips to help staff, pupils and parents work securely from home:-
1, Rename routers and networks
A lot of routers come setup with generic usernames and passwords, which are also on public record making it easy for hackers. Therefore, as soon as you have your router setup they should be changed. After this, the next thing you can do is change your network name, also known as SSID (Service Set Identifier), as once again a generic name is given using the network name and model, which can give a hacker clues into how to hack the network. After this, you are off and rolling!
2, Use strong passwords
As we know these days we get told when setting up an account we need to use Lower case, Upper case letters, numbers, and special characters. But this is very important to make it as hard as possible for a hacker. It’s common knowledge now but still key.
3, Keep everything updated
By having regular updates of routers and passwords it minimises the risk as hackers have much less time to figure out ways of hacking the system. Think about it, if you have a 5 to a 6-year-old router which is outdated, hackers will have had that time to work out how to hack that specific router. With regular updates, it dramatically reduces the time hackers have and the software won’t be outdated.
4, Turn on encryption
These days every router on the market includes encryption. It’s one of the simplest ways to make your internet connection even more secure. If you go onto your router’s settings and find the security options and find WPA2 personal setting if there isn’t a select WPA personal setting (if this is the case, your router may well be out of date. Once you have found this set the encryption type to AES. You then use another password, which is different from the one used on the router, and is used to connect all devices to your Wi-Fi network. Use a strong password as suggested before.
5, Use multiple firewalls
Routers will have built-in firewalls, so it is essential to make sure they are active. To do this Look for SPI (stateful packet inspection) or NAT (network address translation), and make sure the firewall is active. You should also have a second firewall downloaded onto your computer for extra security.
6, Turn off the WPS (Wi-Fi protected setup) setting
WPS is what you would use to automatically connect to Wi-Fi. It’s a simple button on your router that can be switched on and off. It would be advised to switch this off if not using the network, although this can be a pain every time you want to use the internet.
7, Use a VPN (virtual private network)
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is one of the best ways to secure your internet connection. It acts as a middleman between your connected device and the internet. It hides your activity so that no one (even online advertisers) can see what you’re doing online. You can find free browser-based VPNs or subscribe to a monthly VPN service. This tool is a must-have for when you’re on a public network, but it’s also a smart way to add an extra layer of security to your home Wi-Fi.
In Summary
As you can probably tell, we at Unite6 are really passionate about keeping you safe when using a broadband connection, especially at schools. Contact us to find out more on what we do and how we can help secure your network and connectivity further.
Interesting Article:
https://www.theguardian.com/