Tag Archives: Home Network Security

Avast

Avast at Virus Bulletin Conference 2015

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Our team had a wonderful time meeting and networking with the crème de la crème of security industry professionals at this year’s Virus Bulletin Conference in Prague, of which we were a proud platinum sponsor. Throughout the conference, a handful of Avast employees presented talks a variety of today’s most prominent security-centered topics. For those who weren’t able to make it to the conference, we’d like to provide a brief recap of the content that was covered.

Taking a close look at denial of service attacks

Avast senior malware analysts Petr Kalnai and Jaromir Horejsi discuss distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

Avast senior malware analysts Petr Kalnai and Jaromir Horejsi discuss distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

In their presentation, “DDoS trojan: a malicious concept that conquered the ELF format“, senior malware analysts Petr Kalnai and Jaromir Horejsi discussed the serious issues relating to distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

Abstract: DDoS threats have been out there since the Internet took over half of global communication, posing the real problem of denial of access to online service providers. Recently, a new trend emerged in non-Windows DDoS attacks that was induced by code availability, lack of security, and an abundance of resources. The attack infrastructure has undergone significant structural, functional and complexity changes. Malicious aspects have evolved into complex and relatively sophisticated pieces of code, employing compression, advanced encryption and even rootkit capabilities. Targeted machines run systems supporting the ELF format – anything from desktops and servers to IoT devices like routers or digital video recorders (DVRs) could be at risk.

In this session, Petr and Jaromir examined the current state of DDoS trojans forming covert botnets on unsuspecting systems. They provided a technical analysis of the most important malware families with a specific focus on infection methods, dynamic behavior, C&C communication, obfuscation techniques, advanced methods of persistence and stealth, and elimination of rivals. After studying cybercriminals’ behavior, our two speakers introduced their operation tools, including vulnerability scanners, brute-forcers, bot builders and C&C panels. They explained that in many cases, it’s unnecessary to apply reverse engineering within the analysis — the original source codes are indexed in public search engines and their customization is a subject of monetization. The pair concluded their presentation by introducing tracking methods and techniques and revealed the targets of these attacks.

Taking mobile security to the next level

Avast security researcher Filip Chytry talks about privacy in the mobile sphere.

Avast security researcher Filip Chytry talks about privacy in the mobile sphere.

Next up was security researcher Filip Chytry’s talk, “Privacy: a growing commodity in the modern age and our Remotium virtual solution to protect it“. Filip’s presentation focused on a few mobile apps that have experienced privacy leaks and provided insight on what could be used as potential solutions to these types of security breaches.

Abstract: Today, we are surrounded by millions of sensors that measure and monitor our lives, cities, travels, homes and communities. There are currently more online endpoint devices and sensors in existence across the globe than there are human beings. Smartphones have become unbelievably integrated into our daily lives, and these tiny gadgets are just the tip of the iceberg that is the modern spying age. Take cameras, for example — when you get the chance, try taking a stroll around a city and see how many cameras you can spot. These could be cameras belonging to other people or surveillance cameras capturing public images. Whether they were taken accidentally or intentionally, it’s difficult to argue with the fact that each of us is featured in public images and visual data that we remain largely unaware of.

Filip pointed out that when examining this issue through a mobile lens, it’s interesting to take a look at apps which benefit us in some way. Although these apps can lend us a helping hand or aid us in socializing with our peers, they often sharing certain data with developers that the average person is likely unaware of and would be uncomfortable with sharing. Filip went on to explain that in the worst case scenario, these apps’ developers can implement poor security standards which could permit leakages of data shared by the user. Concluding the presentation, Filip explained that Avast Remotium is a virtual space that allows users to mask their data, delivering unidentified data in its place in order to protect against data leaks and privacy breaches.

Home Network Security in the spotlight

Pavel Sramek and Martin Smarda discuss home network security issues.

Pavel Sramek and Martin Smarda discuss home network security issues.

Another two stellar Avast malware analysts, Pavel Sramek and Martin Smarda, presented “Solving the (in)security of home networked devices“. This talk outlined real-life issues of home network devices and examined potential risks related to the devices, a topic which is extremely relevant at this time.

Abstract: In the past few years, there has not been a VB conference without a talk about someone hacking the devices they have at home. Be they routers, NAS-es or ‘smart’ TVs, there is always one thing in common — the vendors ignore the problems and refuse to patch their products. We are developing an automated vulnerability scanner intended to test devices without our code running on them. The intention is to educate users about the misconfigurations and vulnerabilities that are detectable from another device in the network. Integrating such a scanner into consumer AV brings home network security to a new level and increases user awareness of those issues. We will present the technology and the challenges we faced on the way towards accomplishing this goal via maximizing the impact of even the simplest vulnerability scans.

Pavel and Martin acknowledged that while a couple researchers reporting an issue is simply not enough pressure to affect manufacturers’ decisions, the possibilities could be huge if millions of users reported this problem to their vendors or made the decision to replace their devices with more secure ones.

Fun at the Avast booth

A bottle of our own Avastweiser beer!

A bottle of our own Avastweiser beer!

In addition to the presentations given by our talented speakers, Avast had a handful of fun activities to offer to Virus Bulletin attendees. At the Avast booth, our team served three types of Czech beer in addition to our own Avastweiser brew, which we handed out to visitors free of charge.

Attendees had the opportunity to join Avast in a tournament of old-school Arcade Games, which we rented from Prague’s Arcade Museum. Among the prizes were a smartphone-controlled paper airplane and a Cheerson CX-20 drone!

We’d like to thank everyone who attended Virus Bulletin 2015 for their interest and support in the security and antivirus industry. We look forward to what next year’s conference has in store!

 

 

 

 

Follow Avast on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+ where we keep you updated on cybersecurity news every day.

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Sixty serious security flaws found in home routers

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Scan your router with Avast's Home Network Security scanner.

Scan your router with Avast’s Home Network Security scanner.

Your router is one of the weakest links in your security, and researchers have proven once more that your home router puts you at risk.

Sixty security flaws have been identified in 22 router models that are distributed around the world, mostly by ISPs to their customers. These flaws could allow hackers to break into the device, change the password, and install and execute malicious scripts that change DNS servers to those the attacker wants. They do this so they can send your traffic through servers they control and direct you unwittingly to malicious sites or load malicious code on your machine when you visit a legitimate site.

Other flaws include allowing the hackers to read and write information on USB storage devices attached to the affected routers and reboot the devices.

The research report describes how the attackers can get in – through a backdoor with a universal password that is used by the ISP’s technical support staff to help troubleshoot for their customers over the phone. This second default administrator access is hidden from the router owner.

Which routers did the researchers test?

The researchers tested the following models: Amper Xavi 7968, 7968+ and ASL-26555; Astoria ARV7510; Belkin F5D7632-4; cLinksys WRT54GL; Comtrend WAP-5813n, CT-5365, AR-5387un and 536+; D-Link DSL-2750B and DIR-600; Huawei HG553 and HG556a; ; Netgear CG3100D; Observa Telecom AW4062, RTA01N, Home Station BHS-RTA and VH4032N; Sagem LiveBox Pro 2 SP and Fast 1201 and Zyxel P 660HW-B1A.

Since the researchers are based in Madrid, their interest was mainly in Spanish ISPs and the routers they distribute, but routers like Linksys, D-Link and Belkin are distributed in the U.S. and other countries.

What can you do to protect yourself?

Avast has a feature built into our antivirus products called Home Network Security (HNS), which scans for misconfigured Wi-Fi networks, exposes weak or default Wi-Fi passwords, vulnerable routers, compromised Internet connections, and enabled, but not protected, IPv6. It also lists all devices on the network so you can make sure only your known devices are connected. Avast is the only security company to offer a tool to help you secure this neglected area.

How to scan your home router with Home Network Security scanner

Open the Avast user interface, click Scan from the menu on the left, then choose Scan for network threats. Avast will take a look at your router and report back any issues. In most cases, if there is an issue to be addressed, then it will direct you to your router manufacturer’s website.

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Avast Home Network Security is ideal for the self-employed

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Don't let your router be the weakest link when it comes to protecting your home business.

Don’t let your router be the weakest link when it comes to protecting your home business.

For those of us who are self-employed and/or work from home, our houses are sacred spaces on both personal and professional levels. Although often overlooked, our routers hold the key to our productivity, as they provide the powerful and consistent network connection that we depend on in order to get our work done. Unfortunately, we often take these little guys for granted, and because of this, routers have become the weakest security point in many home and small business networks these days.

“Unsecured routers create an easy entry point for hackers to attack millions of American home networks,” said Vince Steckler, chief executive officer of Avast. “If a router is not properly secured, cybercriminals can easily gain access to an individual’s personal information, including financial information, user names and passwords, photos, and browsing history.”

Securing your router is vital for both you and your business

You may have heard about the recent NetUSB driver flaw that made millions of routers vulnerable to malicious attacks. Unfortunately, this is just one case surrounded by the larger issue of users not taking the necessarily precautions to properly secure their home networks.

Avast now features Home Network Security (HNS), which scans for home router security problems. Avast is the only security company to offer a tool to help you secure this neglected area. Avast Home Network Security scans a user’s home network and routers for potential security issues that could allow a hacker attack. The scan looks for misconfigured Wi-Fi networks, exposes weak or default Wi-Fi passwords, vulnerable routers, compromised Internet connections, and enabled, but not protected, IPv6. It also lists all devices on the network so you can make sure only your known devices are connected.

In addition to protecting your devices using Avast Home Network Security, there several steps you can take in order to further improve your router’s security.

  • Change the default admin username and password to a strong password. Do not use default passwords because they’re generated from well-known algorithms that makes hacker attacks even easier. Do not use your name, date of birth, home address or any personal information as the password.
  • Turn off WPS, the automated network configuration method that makes your wireless password more vulnerable to hacker attacks.Turn on WPA2 encryption and, if you can, protect it with a strong password.
  • Change the default admin username and password to a strong password. Do not use default passwords because they’re generated from well-known algorithms that makes hacker attacks even easier. Do not use your name, date of birth, home address or any personal information as the password.
  • Upgrade your router firmware to fix known vulnerabilities of the router.
  • Don’t forget to log out after managing the router, avoiding abuse of the authenticated browser sessions.

Protect your router against malicious attacks with Avast Home Network Security.
Avast Home Network Security's scan helps you keep your router secure and safe from hackers.
Results are shown once Avast Home Network Security's scan is complete.

 

The Home Network Security Solution is available in free and paid versions of Avast. Get it at www.avast.com.


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5 things you can do to boost your Wi-Fi network

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laptop and routers

Where you place your router can make a big difference in signal strength.

Where you physically place your router makes a difference – not only to the signal, but to your security.

Think of your router like you would a cordless phone’s base. If you wander too far away from the base station, your call may drop or have static interference. If your wireless devices, like your laptop, are out of your router’s range, then your connection speed can slow down to an annoying crawl or your connection may drop.

Generally, a Wi-Fi router should work well for about 100 ft (30m) in every direction. If your walls are thin or your router is placed in the wrong location, you could be helping a thief steal your bandwidth.

Here are 5 things you can do to optimize your reception and reduce the chance of your neighbor piggy backing on your signal:

  1. 1. Place your router in a central location. For the optimal coverage, place the router in the middle of the desired coverage area. Think about all the devices you are using along with their location, and place the router at a mid-point and as high as possible so the signal gets dispersed throughout the area.
  2. 2. Avoid walls, ceilings or shelves. If the signal has to go around corners, or through walls, ceilings or shelves, then it will have a hard time getting to your device. Insulated walls, or ones made of brick or concrete can impede the signal. Even fish tanks (it’s the water that’s the problem) and mirrors can have an effect.
  3. 3. Place appliances far away from the router. Appliances operate on the same frequency as routers, so avoid placing the router close to cordless phones, microwaves, or TVs.
  4. 4. Name your Wi-Fi something alarming. Follow the trend to rename your Wi-Fi network to something that will potentially scare would-be thieves from mooching off your Wi-Fi connection. The name “FBI Surveillance Van” was popular a few years ago, or use my favorite c:virus.exe.
  5. Better yet – set up a password for your network with WPA2 encryption. Read more about securing your router from 12 ways to boost your router’s security.
  6. 5. Put up Wi-Fi blocking wallpaper. Decorate your room and block your Wi-Fi signal at the same time. MetaPaper is wallpaper that helps businesses and home users improve the security of their data and protect their Wi-Fi networks from intruders. Re-setting your password is definitely cheaper, but this is a clever innovation especially for business owners concerned about their data security.

BONUS TIP:

Avast Home Network Security scans a user’s home network and routers for potential security issues that could allow a hacker attack. The scan looks for misconfigured Wi-Fi networks, exposes weak or default Wi-Fi passwords, vulnerable routers, compromised Internet connections, and enabled, but not protected, IPv6. It also lists all devices on the network so you can make sure only your known devices are connected.

To run a scan on your home network, open the Avast user interface and click on Scan>Scan for network threats. If Avast finds a vulnerability it will guide you on how to fix it.

Avast

Your video guide to Avast 2015 features

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Only four and half minutes of your time, and you’ll know the highlights of Avast 2015.

 

Avast 2015 is very easy to use, and many people just install it and let it do its job silently in the background. We designed it that way, but for those of you who want to know more about the features of Avast, we created a video guide to help you get the most out of your security protection.

The core of Avast Antivirus is real-time active protection comprised of the Web, Mail, and File System Shields. These can be accessed from the user interface. Open Settings and go to Active protection.

Avast 2015 includes our new, unique Home Network Security (HSN) which scans for home router security problems. Avast is the only security company to offer a tool to help you secure this neglected area.

To save you time, Avast 2015 has an efficient 4-in-1 Smart Scan which combines scans for malware and HSN’s router vulnerabilities, missing software updates and patches with Software Updater, and performance issues with GrimeFighter. GrimeFighter requires a separate license to fully optimize your PC.

Avast

12 ways to boost your router’s security

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hns2aWith the increasing number of network security breaches, we need to improve awareness regarding the security of your home network.

We simply need to follow some rules to control and prevent system penetration and also bandwidth theft (and losing money!). Safeguard your valuable information available through your home wireless connection and do not be easy target for hackers!

Here are 12 ways to boost your router’s security:

  1. 1. Install your router in a safe place where the wireless signal is available only inside your own house. Avoid placing it near to a window.
  2. 2. Turn off WPS, the automated network configuration method that makes your wireless password more vulnerable to hacker attacks.Turn on WPA2 encryption and, if you can, protect it with a strong password.
  3. 3. Change the default admin username and password to a strong password. Do not use default passwords because they’re generated from well-known algorithms that makes hacker attacks even easier. Do not use your name, date of birth, home address or any personal information as the password.
  4. 4. Upgrade your router firmware to fix known vulnerabilities of the router.
  5. 5. Don’t forget to log out after managing the router, avoiding abuse of the authenticated browser sessions.
  6. 6. Disable remote management of the router over the internet. In a business environment, if you need this management, it will be safer to use NAT rules allowing SSH or VPN access only.
  7. 7. To prevent CSRF attacks, don’t use the default IP ranges. Change the defaults 192.168.1.1 to something different like 10.8.9.7.
  8. 8. Prevent ROM-0 abuse (i.e., access to the secret data stored in your router: your ADSL login/password combination and WiFi password) of your router and forward port 80 on the router to and non-used IP address on your network. Check how-to here.
  9. 9. Set your router DNS servers to automatic mode (or DHCP) or for a static value that you manually set exactly according to your ISP.
  10. 10. Disable IPv6 on the router or, if you really need IPv6 services, replace the router with a IPv6 certified one.
  11. 11. You can save bandwidth and allow only specific computers or devices to access your WiFi even if they have the security key to enter. Find the computer MAC address (the “physical address” listed with the command line ipconfig/all at a cmd window). Into your router settings, you should look for the Mac filtering settings to add this identifier there.
  12. 12. Use a secure VPN in open/public WiFi hotspots. You can read more on how Avast SecureLine can protect PC, Mac and Android devices in these situations. If you cannot avoid using public WiFi, then try not to log in or enter your credentials (specially banking or credit card ones), but also your email and phone number. If you really need it, always prefer the secure protocol HTTPS (check the browser address bar).

Avast Software’s security applications for PC, Mac, and Android are trusted by more than 200-million people and businesses. Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

 

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How to disable IPv6 support in your router settings

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Your WiFi network is not secured

Your WiFi network is not secured

After the previous articles you should be convinced that router vulnerabilities are one of the major concerns in network security. As you already know, the new Avast 2015 version includes a security feature called Home Network Security (HNS) which scans your network and router for vulnerabilities and prevent threats.

One serious problem occurs when when IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is enabled (both by the ISP and on the router), but there is no IPv6 firewall being used. Which means that anyone on the Internet can access devices on the network (like printers, network disks, etc.). This is often the case because the routers are small, embedded devices that cannot handle IPv6 firewalling.

The main advantage of IPv6 over IPv4 is its larger address space: it allows 2128 or approximately 3.4×1038 addresses (or sites) which is an enormous number! In addition to offering more addresses, IPv6 also implements features not present in IPv4: it simplifies address assignment, network renumbering and packets processing.

In fact, a proper IPv6 firewall requires quite some processing power and RAM, so it’s no wonder that many of the cheap routers don’t have that functionality at all (or it’s not working properly).

The remediation is relatively simple: Just disable IPv6 on the router. In most cases, this shouldn’t have any impact on other services, unless they require IPv6 (in which case, it would be good to replace the router with something better which is IPv6 certified).

Avast Internet Security and Premium products offer full support to IPv6 for your computer on our silent firewall. Take into account that other devices, like network drives connected to the router won’t be protected.

 

Avast Software’s security applications for PC, Mac, and Android are trusted by more than 200-million people and businesses. Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

 

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How to change your router DNS settings and avoid hijacking

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If your home router is hacked, you have a serious situation on your hands.

When an Avast Home Network Security scan finds that your router is already compromised, this notification will appear.

Your WiFi network is not secured

Your WiFi network is not secured

This means that the router has been hacked and the DNS settings have been modified to serve hacked contents to a cyberthief. This is a pretty serious situation. When hackers exploit router vulnerabilities, gain access to it, and modify the DNS servers settings, all your Internet traffic can be forwarded to rogue servers. This is called a man-in-the-middle attack.

The DNS or Domain Name System, is the “phone book” of the Internet, and an IP address is what’s listed in the book. DNS names computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network. It translates easily memorized domain names, for instance, www.example.com, to the unique numerical IP addresses needed to locate the service worldwide.

What happens when your router is hacked?

Instead of connecting to a clean site or service, when your router is hacked, you’ll visit a rogue and hacked one. It’s obvious that your privacy will be violated, and your banking information could be captured – by the man-in-the-middle mentioned above. Even the usually secure SSL, the HTTPS protocol we have all been instructed to look for to indicate a secure site, won’t assure you’re protected. Instead, you’ll be proxied through malicious servers and the encrypted connection is cut in the middle. This illustration shows what happens.

 

Your WiFi network is not secured

Source: http://www.cert.pl//news/8019/langswitch_lang/en

This could also happen if your router is set to default/weak/factory password. So, the worst scenario of hacking is not that uncommon. See the latest news about webcams being hacked because of the owner’s using default passwords. Vincent Steckler, CEO of Avast, told VentureBeat that consumers are notorious for not updating default passwords, just as I’m talking about here. Some 63 percent of wireless routers run with default passwords, says Steckler.

The problem goes further than just one user or one device. The malicious effects can spread to all users in the local network, regardless of the operating system used.

How to protect ourselves against this plague?

First, scan your home network with Avast Home Network Security to verify if your device is compromised. If Avast alerts you, it’s already too late. You’ve already been compromised. You need to manually check the DNS servers in the router configuration.

By default, your router uses DNS servers automatically acquired from your Internet provider. All the devices on your network — PCs, smartphones, tablets, game consoles, and anything else connected to the network — get their DNS server from the router. You can change the DNS server on your router, therefore changing every other device on your network.

There are several good articles on the Internet about changing your DNS. Here’s one from howtogeek.com.

You also need to pay attention to your browser address bar. The HTTPS indicator should be there all the time. If it comes and goes, you may have already been compromised. In these cases, or for any other strange symptom you could be experiencing: Disable your Internet connection immediately and change the router username and password to unique ones (consult the router manual for instructions).

But, be warned, neither of these will be enough because if the router is vulnerable, it will take the attacker no time to change the settings back. Updating the router firmware or even changing it completely – as described in previous article – will be necessary.

Avast Software’s security applications for PC, Mac, and Android are trusted by more than 200-million people and businesses. Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

 

 

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How to upgrade your router with the latest firmware or replace it completely

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It’s difficult to accept that we made an unwise purchase or even that a piece of technology has gone obsolete. But when it comes to the security of your home network, it’s time to face up to it.

Last February, Craig Young, a researcher at security firm Tripwire, published research showing that 80% of the 25 best-selling small office/home office (SOHO) wireless router models on Amazon had vulnerabilities. Because some routers, in fact, a lot of them, have so many non-patched vulnerabilities, the easiest way to secure your home network is to replace the router completely with a secure model.

Your WiFi network is not secured

Your WiFi network is not secured

 

How to update your router

But let’s not spend your money yet. Only four of the reported vulnerabilities were completely new, and many have been patched in later models, so you should first look for firmware updates. Some conscious manufactures release updates for their hardware controls and, if applied, could solve all (or at least some) known vulnerabilities.

Routers do not perform automatic updates, so the process requires appropriate patches to be manually downloaded and installed. Avast 2015 includes a Home Network Security scanner that can help you determine what needs to be done, explain why, and can direct you to the router manufacturer’s website.

Open the Avast user interface, click Scan from the menu on the left, then choose Scan for network threats. Avast will take a look at your router and report back any issues. In most cases, if there is an issue to be addressed, then it will direct you to your router manufacturer’s website.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus Router Attack

If you’re not convinced that router attacks are something to be concerned about, then think back on the attack from earlier this year. Attackers remotely altered DNS configurations for more than 300,000 small office/home office (SOHO) routers, subsequently opening up victims to a host of compromises

Among several vulnerabilities around, there is one that is quite common. It’s called ROM-0 and allows the attacker to easily gain control of the whole router and, subsequently, your Internet connection. In short, the attacker could request ROM-0 through HTTP (i.e. http://192.168.1.1/ROM-0) and then he can download all the important and secret data stored in your router: Your ADSL login/password combination, WIFI password and basically all your configuration data.

How to avoid attackers from downloading your Rom-0 configuration file and manipulating your router?

It’s simple (if you are comfortable around computers. Ask a techie to help you, if you’re not):

  • Forward port 80 on the router to a non-used IP address on your network.
  • Enter your router configuration and go to “Port forwarding” configuration.
  • Send all http traffic, of all protocols, to star and end port 80 in a non-used local IP address (something like 192.168.0.xxx, where xxx would be a non-used IP).

There are free guides of “port forwarding” for quite a lot of routers. Check your model here.

Avast Software’s security applications for PC, Mac, and Android are trusted by more than 200-million people and businesses. Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

 

 

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How to disable access to your router from the Internet

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When Avast Home Network Security (HNS) displays the following error: “Your network router is accessible from the Internet” that means that hackers can access your router’s administrative interface.

Your WiFi network is not secured

Your WiFi network is not secured

 

Although that doesn’t mean imminent threat, the fact that the router is accessible from the Internet is not good. A cybercrook could modify your network settings and even disable your Internet connection or, the worst, steal your personal data.

For sure, if you use the default password in your router, everyone can access your router. However, you won’t do that, will you? If you’re reading this article, we suppose you’re technically educated and will know that using the default password is a serious risk.

hns3Routers, especially Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) wireless routers, are usually quite vulnerable to all sorts of exploits and exposing the admin interface of the router to the Internet is like leaving your door unlocked when you leave home. According to Tripwire, “80% of Amazon’s top 25 best-selling SOHO wireless router models have security vulnerabilities.”

Why should we worry about routers?

“Unsecured routers create an easy entry point for hackers to attack millions of American home networks,” said Vince Steckler, chief executive officer of Avast. “If a router is not properly secured, cybercriminals can easily gain access to an individual’s personal information, including financial information, user names and passwords, photos, and browsing history.”

Set up a strong password

I already explained how to make sure you have the highest level of encryption set on your router. If you missed it, please go back and read my blog, How to turn on WiFi encryption in your router settings.

The next step is to replace thedefault administrator password.Some of the most common mistakes made, not only by common users but also from a significant number of IT professionals, are to use the default administrator password and use the popular WPS and its insecure technology that allows hackers to discover (much easier) the router encryption passphrase.

When creating a new password, make sure it is long and strong, using a mix of numbers, letters and symbols. If you have many visitors to yourhome, it’s a good idea to set up a guest network with a separate password.

Avast 2015 includes a Home Network Security scanner that can help you determine what needs to be done, explain why, and can direct you to the router manufacturer’s website. Read more about it on our blog,  Your home network is at risk of cybersecurity attacks.

Avast Software’s security applications for PC, Mac, and Android are trusted by more than 200-million people and businesses. Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.