Wi-Fi hacking frequently takes advantage of small mistakes users make while connecting devices to a network or setting up a router. To avoid the worst of these mistakes, there are a few simple precautions you can take to reduce your attack surface and prevent you from falling victim to some of the most common Wi-Fi attacks.
1. Purge networks you don’t need from your preferred network list
* The Preferred Network List, or PNL, is a list of Wi-Fi network names your device automatically trusts.
2. Use a VPN to keep your local traffic encrypted
* One of the fundamental flaws of WPA2 that’s being fixed in WPA3 is the concept of forwarding secrecy. This means that in the new WPA3 standard, recorded Wi-Fi traffic can’t be spied on even if the attacker gains knowledge of the Wi-Fi password later.
3. Disable WPS functionality on routers
* From an attacker’s perspective, networks with WPS enabled stick out like a sore thumb. With a single command, a hacker can scan the local area for networks that support WPS and would represent a good target for an attack like WPS-Pixie.
4. Never re-use passwords for Wi-Fi
* One of the biggest flaws of WPA2, the current Wi-Fi standard, is that a weak password can make it easy for an attacker to break into the network. If the password to your Wi-Fi network is among the top million or so worst passwords out there.