Home Network Security Demystified: Your Complete Guide

Why Home Network Security Is Important?

It is estimated that cybercrime will cost the world $10.5 trillion annually by 2025.¹ That figure is enough to make anyone understand the potential dangers, and relative importance of cybersecurity. With the increasing trend of remote work connecting our homes to our work, the importance of having a robust network security has never been greater. Whether you’re working remotely, streaming your favorite shows, or just browsing the web, your home network is the gateway to your digital world and, therefore, needs proper considerations and safeguards.

If that seems daunting, you need not worry as we will explore and break down the essential components of home network security. We hope this guide will enable you to understand concepts and make appropriate changes to your remote work lifestyle that can help in enhancing not only your security but your productivity as well. Let’s being.

Understanding Home Network Vulnerabilities

Your network at home is subject to lots of vulnerabilities that you might not fully understand. Some examples of these cane be:

• Wifi access resulting in data theft
• Comprised passwords of your devices at home
• Possible hacking of your collaborative tools

Generally, the types of breaches and vulnerabilities that exist are manifold and subject to the attackers imagination because the tools to hack are becoming increasingly lethal and precise.

This underpins the importance of having multi-layered security for your devices, tools and platforms. An example of such a measure is the Two-Factor authentication that you might have heard of or setup for your accounts.

Securing Your Wi-Fi Network

The home network is essentially your gateway to the digital world. And that is through your WiFi or internet service. This means that securing your WiFi had to be the first step for your protection.

It can be achieved through the following steps:

• Choosing a strong, unique Wi-Fi password with WPA3 encryption or better is.
• Hiding your SSID from public view.
• Additional security by whitelisting select devices with MAC address filtering. Here’s an easy 7-step guide on how to enable MAC filtering on a Wi-Fi network by WikiHow. ²

Updating and Patching: Your First Line of Defense

With work from home the responsibility of securing data falls on each individual professional. And this means having the right software solution to keep your internet or PC secure.

An antivirus or similar software is only as good till the time it is updated with protection against the latest vulnerabilities and threats. This means that regularly updating your software is critical to it’s functionality.

A practical step to get ahead of the threats, is to enable automatic updates for all of your devices and software. Aside from security concerns, this will help in addressing firmware vulnerabilities.

Firewall Configuration: Building Your Digital Barrier

As we work through the internet, we must have the relevant and requisite safeguards in place to ensure our work environments and data are safe.

A firewall is such a network security system that monitors and controls the incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules and keeps you secure against their malintent.

You should preferably configure firewalls for your router and consider buying additional software dedicated to such protection. Such as the Bitdefender Antivirus.

Data Protection for Remote Workers

As we’ve covered earlier, among the few caveats of remote work include the added responsibility of information protection that lands on an individuals shoulders when conducting work remotely.

Some points to consider for people working from home include:

• Securing printed files containing valuable company information locked drawers or safes.
• Using some form of physical access control to limit exposure of data in unwanted hands.
• Using encrypted storage services and devices.
• Backing up data securely and frequently.
• Reassessing your security arrangements periodically.

Dangers of Using Unsecured or Shared Wi-Fi

In a home environment, it is quite common for remote workers to make use of a shared Wi-Fi for their work. Although not intentional, but using a shared Wi-Fi can have some detrimental effects for your home network security as it makes your network more prone to hacking through other household devices which may become compromised.

Similarly using unsecure Wi-Fi while commuting or from Coffee shops may seem harmless at first. But, it actually increases your chance of being hacked by other connected devices. According to a survey conducted by Forbes to ascertain security and data theft from unsecured Public Wi-Fis, a staggering 43% had their online security compromised. ³

If the use of a public Wi-Fi is unavoidable, it should be done with the use of VPNs.

VPN for Home Network Security

Virtual Private Network or VPNs are the necessary layer of protection used by professionals across the world.

VPNs add to your security by not only providing anonymity by masking your IP address, but also by ensuring that your data and online footprint remains secure by encrypting your internet traffic, making it much harder for hackers, ISPs, or other third parties to intercept and read your data.

Usually, the same VPN can be configured for multiple devices, depending on the package that you’ve subscribed to.

Securing IoT Devices: The Hidden Threat

With the advent of smart devices littered across the modern home, such as smart lights, speakers, assistants, calendars, cameras etc., the risks associated with the security of these devices has increased manifold.

Special considerations must be paid to these devices when setting up your home office. It is advisable to have a separate network to control the IoT devices as their security is not as effective as those of stand alone configurable devices.

Implementing Network Segmentation

Since we now understand the vulnerabilities of having a shared network, it is advisable to have multiple networks in your home.

A separate network for work and one for general home use could add another layer of protection to your home network security by offering network segmentation.

A further enhancement could be the addition of a guest network exclusively for visitors.

Investing in Home Network Security

So, wrapping up we hope you’ve understood the basics on home network security, why is it important and what it’s about. From fortifying your Wi-Fi to protecting your home office physically, you’re probably now more aware what a robust home network security system would include.

Remember, in the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity, staying informed and proactive is not only desired but it is mandatory to maintain protection. Do not wait for the worse to happen and start implementing the right measures today. Whether subscribing to a VPN or buying the right antivirus. your investments in security are surely not going to waste given the numerous vulnerabilities and potential of cybercrime these days. Keep in mind that every little step counts towards a safer digital work environment at home. Stay informed, stay protected and stay ahead of the threats, best of luck!

Read our microblog to see our handy Home Office Security Checklist.

To learn more about other important digital skills that can help you in staying professional, like cybersecurity, read our blog in the Digital Skills section.

To read more about the essentials required for a home office, read our article in the Home Office section.

References

1. Statista. (2024, July 30). Annual cost of cybercrime worldwide 2018-2029. https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1280009/cost-cybercrime-worldwide ↩︎
2. https://www.wikihow.com/Enable-MAC-Address-Filtering ↩︎
3. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/public-wifi-risks/ ↩︎