WIRELESS encryption is used to secure your wireless network from unauthorised access. If an insecure protocol or a weak password it utilised, a malicious actor could use your internet connection to conduct malicious/illegal activity.

The main types of encryption for wireless networks include WEP, WPA and WPA2.

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) became easier to exploit as computational power increased. If this encryption method is utilised on a network today, the password to gain access to the network could be obtained very easily and quickly. This encryption method should not be used on any routers.

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Wi-Fi protected access (WPA) was a replacement to WEP, however WPA had to recycle certain elements used in WEP which meant this system was also exploited. WPA has been superseded by WPA2 and is the main encryption technology used to protect networks.

The order in the most secure to the least secure is as follows: WPA2, WPA, WEP and open network (no security at all)

In addition to this, Service Set Identifier (SSID) is the name that comes up when you search for a network to connect to. The wireless network should not contain personal information as the hacker will use the personal information to create a customised password list. The password to the router should be a strong complex password that contains no personal information.

WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) allows for an easy connection between routers and devices. However, WPS uses a eight-digit pin instead of a password. This vulnerability renders strong Wi-Fi passwords completely irrelevant as this form of authentication can be totally bypassed.

If WPS is enabled on your router, it should be disabled promptly.