Everyone knows - at least theoretically - that you should secure your WiFi network. However, we often compromise our safety not because we lack knowledge or tools, but because we are simply lazy. Such an attitude accounts for poor configuration of a router and weak network security.
Poorly secured home or office network may be the source of many problems - from connection errors and "extra" users to sensitive data loss. Take a look at our quick guide to network encryptions.
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), or how NOT to secure your network
WEP standard is the most often used encrypting key in the world, but its popularity doesn't mean it's the best. WEP is the weakest, worst and most vulnerable to attacks standard among those you can choose from. Then why is it so popular, you may ask? It is simply because it is the first on the list when you pick your router's security settings. Most users are either lazy and/or not aware of its bad quality and they choose the first possible option to quickly get through the configuration process.
WEP dates back to the late 90's, in its beginnings it offered 64-bit key encryption, and in the meantime it has been improved to 128-bit. But a lot still remains to be frowned upon, since you can find a lot of guides on how to break this encryption method (they have started in 2001!). In 2005 FBI officially busted this system by publishing a demonstrational video on how to break that encryption method in just a couple of minutes, all using free software. Never use WEP, it is unreliable.
WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) - better but still not good
WPA was supposed to be a better brother of WEP standard - it uses 256-bit encryption keys. Unfortunately, since manufacturers wanted to easily introduce the system to all the devices by simply releasing an update to routers' hardware WPA had to be somehow reversily compatible. That's why TKIP (WPA's crucial protocol) experienced issues similar to those encountered by WEP and not so long afterwards you could see videos on how to break WPA encryption keys.
WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access II) - the best choice
WPA2 officially replaced WPA in 2006. This encryption standard is still believed to be the most secure among the mentioned methods. One of the most important changes is replacing TKIP protocol with a CCMP protocol, based on AES (Advanced Encryption Standard).
The only existing method to break into a WPA2 network is very time-consuming and may not be successful, because the breaking program has to collect enough data to find the encryption key to the network. Therefore home users shouldn't worry about their safety.
What security standard should I choose to secure my home network?
WPA2 is the best safety measure and you shouldn't even think about choosing some previous encryption methods. WPA2 is the newest standard that fixes WEP and WPA issues and is better than them in every way possible. Make sure that WPA2 (with AES encryption type) is set as default for your router, since using any older standard allows others to break into your network in a couple of minutes.
You should also check if your router supports WPS standard (Wi-Fi Protected Setup). This feature has been created to suit the needs of an average user and allows to easily connect to encrypted network by providing the user with a PIN code. Such a code can be usually find on the device, so such a feature can be used to break even the strongest encryption keys. To turn it off look for "Wi-Fi Protected Setup" feature in your router's admin page and disable it. Sometimes you may also have to update your router's software.
