Is Your Wi-Fi Router Protected?

It is so much fun to have Wi-Fi in the house because you can pay for one data subscription service for everyone in your home to use. 

It ensures household members can consolidate their internet usage expenses and get more data bundles when they use a Wi-Fi router. 

However, the increase in cyber bullying, cyber attacks, and cyber crime does raise an alarm in Kenya. 

Close to 98% of the population has access to the internet, with children as young as 8-years joining social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, while the legal age on most sites is 13yrs. 

Cyber Bullying 

Cyber bullying happens to younger children who can’t determine when people are projecting their insecurities onto to them. 

Also, many kids can join some adult forums like Kilimani mums and dads and do things that are inappropriate because of the content available in the group. 

In some cases, cyber bullying can lead to hacking as bullies look for more personal information to use against a victim. 

Nowadays, there are malicious entities that develop Wi-Fi hacking software and sell it as a service to interested parties. 

Unsecured Wi-Fi connections are easy to hack with Wi-Fi password hacker apps or other Wi-Fi hacker apps. 

Moreover, a malicious party doesn’t have to be a tech guru to collect data from your devices or infect your devices with ransom ware.

Cyber Attacks 

As more people are working from home, hackers have moved to infecting institution systems with ransom ware through employees with no Wi-Fi protection. 

You would lose your job if hackers accessed your company database using your device because you didn’t take the necessary security measures for your Wi-Fi router. 

Many people don’t know about types of cybercrime, cybercrime prevention, cybercrime meaning, or ways to protect a Wi-Fi router. 

Most Kenyans only search for Wi-Fi speed test tools as that is what they prioritize. 

Cyber attacks in Kenya are on the rise because most people don’t understand privacy meaning or the value of using privacy apps. 

Hackers can install cookies or bugs to collect data on a person’s device and the user will be none the wiser. 

The Risk of Using Unprotected Wi-Fi Router

There are many risks of accessing the internet with a Wi-Fi router that’s unprotected. 

The increase of internet usage in the country is unpreventable because Kenya is a developing country. 

However, we need to develop a culture of using secure internet connections where no one is collecting data from our browsing activities. 

The most common cyber crimes include online fraud and financial crimes. 

There are many Kenyans who report unauthorized cash withdrawals from their accounts or transfers to unknown recipients. 

As we know, many Kenyans share passwords, pins, and other sensitive information through messages. 

Someone who hacks your devices can collect all your passwords, pins, and personal information necessary to commit financial fraud and get away with it. 

Usage of VPNs

A Virtual Private Networks (VPN) is a private channel/pathway/tunnel that ensures that your communications are unmonitored. 

Therefore, all communications with a browser pass through a private communication pathway that can’t be traced or followed back to your router or device. 

Many Kenyan businesses, let alone households, don’t use VPNs. 

Anyone with minimum skills can hack into communications and collect sensitive data about a business or figure out weak security points without anyone noticing an intrusion. 

It is the reason we see young IT graduates hacking into the best banks and financial institutions in the country without getting caught. 

What most Kenyans don’t know is that small financial institutions like SACCOS and Micro finances experience hacks and malicious parties get away with cash. 

The reason it is not public knowledge is because their reputation will be crushed if such details ever came to light. 

Big banks can survive a hacking scandal and they have the resources to hire white hackers to trace the source of the hack. 

However, small financial institutions don’t have that luxury and most cyber crime cases go unsolved. 

Why Do You Need Wi-Fi VPN?

Wi-Fi router VPN ensures that all devices in your home use a secure connections without doing VPN installation into every single internet connected device in your home. 

It is a convenient way to ensure secure internet connection for smart homes that use Alexa, or other smart home management software. 

Since a Wi-Fi routers act as the point of internet connections for TVs, smartphones, laptops, tablets, and other home appliances, you don’t have to worry about Wi-Fi hacking when you have install a Wi-Fi VPNs. 

Do You Connect to Public Wi-Fi?

Public Wi-Fi is Wi-Fi available in public places and doesn’t have passwords. 

You should consider installing a VPN app on your phone if you connect to public Wi-Fi using your mobile devices. 

Public Wi-Fi is a good place for hackers to collect information because there are low security measures in place. 

Now you know how people get access to your passwords and pins when you are sure you didn’t share with anyone. 

How Much Does a VPN Cost?

There are some services that offer free Wi-Fi VPN. 

You should NEVER subscribe to a free Wi-Fi VPN service because you won’t be getting any significant protection against cyber attacks. 

Some free VPN services where set up a long time ago and use outdated software to offer private communication networks. 

You should ALWAYS opt for a paid VPN services because the company will be motivated to ensure you enjoy internet privacy when browsing. 

Also, VPN service providers pride themselves in preventing hacking and they ensure they have the latest software to keep clients safe when connecting to the internet. 

You can pay 1-2k per month if you opt for a monthly subscription plan. 

However, you can pay 400-700 SHILLINGS per month when you opt to pay for an annual, 2-year or a 3-year subscription service. 

Overall, you can save about 60% on monthly payments when you choose the annual plans. 

Additionally, you can pay for a trial period to check out the efficiency of the VPN provider before you pay for an annual plan. 

Keep in mind that paying for a Wi-Fi router VPN service is part of protecting your family against malicious parties. 

Resources

https://ca.go.ke/industry/cyber-security/overview/

https://cutt.ly/tnuZLZi