When shopping online, get the maximum possible security and privacy for your transactions. That means never buying anything while connected to public or open Wi-Fi networks, or even to the Wi-Fi of someone you don’t know well. Stick to your own Wi-Fi or to cellular service like 5G for the safest results.

Networks without passwords do not encrypt your connection. Accordingly, it’s possible for other connected users to spy on your activity, including any password you type. Don’t view your bank balance or log into any accounts tied to a debit/credit card while on public Wi-Fi. Cellular is much safer in these cases.

Hackers grab the headlines constantly these days — usually for corporate ransoms and massive data leaks — but beneath these high-profile cases, other cybercriminals are targeting people like you: users on a home network. They can steal your information, log-in details and web history, knowing your network is much easier to breach than any company […]

Virtually all modern routers support WPA2 encryption, which is far more secure than WPA or WEP encryption. Make sure the encryption you’re using on the router is WPA2 so you know the information it’s broadcasting is safe. If your router doesn’t support WPA2, it might be wise to get a new device that does.

Most network routers have default credentials such as “admin” for a username and “password” for a password, neither of which requires much work to guess. Whatever the default credentials, they’re always the same on any given router model, making it a good idea to change these credentials as soon as you set up your router. […]

While it’s vital to have a strong Wi-Fi password, hiding your Wi-Fi network’s name adds an extra layer of security. This can help conceal its existence entirely, providing access only to users who know it’s there. The option to do this in a router’s configuration page is listed as “Disable SSID broadcasting” or similar.