Disable WPS, UPnP, and Remote Administration

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• Speaker to be confirmed
• Monday 26 August 2019, 11:00-12:00
• Venue to be confirmed.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Tomy.

You’re almost done! As a last step, go through your router’s settings and turn off the following features.

Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS): This feature allows you to connect a new device to your network just by pressing a button and entering a PIN—no password necessary. Sounds convenient, right? Too bad it's notoriously insecure, and makes it far easier for someone to get onto your network without your permission. Most people don't use this feature anyway, so you can just turn it off.
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP): This allows devices to more easily communicate with one another on (and sometimes off) your network. Here is a full explanation of this feature. In summary, while it has its uses, it's been host to numerous security issues over the years, including the most recent mass router hack. Unless you really need this feature and know your router is getting regular updates, you're probably better off just disabling it. If certain applications stop working properly after disabling UPnP, look up how to forward their ports manually.
Remote Administration: Many routers allow you to access their settings page from outside the network. In general, this is not a good idea, and not something most people will need anyway. Turn it off, if it isn't off already.

Changing all of these settings will take you pretty far, but again, there’s no substitute for a well-made device with up-to-date firmware. If you’ve had the same old router for more than a few years old, its firmware may be forever out of date. Without the latest security patches, it will leave you vulnerable. So, at some point in the near future, you’ll want to upgrade.

If you do go shopping for a new router, consider a system like Eero or Google Wifi. These not only receive regular automatic updates, but also give you better range across your house and let you easily manage your settings right from your phone. https://www.19216811.biz

This talk is part of the Router series.

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