"We love the internet. Whether we're placing insomnia-fueled eBay bids on action figures from our childhoods, emailing the latest Taylor Swift conspiracy theory to our best friend, or just paying our electric bill, being online makes our lives more fun, more connected and a whole lot easier. Unfortunately, there are countless creeps who love that we love the internet - and who would love to swipe our personal information. More than 1.7 billion people had personal data compromised in 2024, so, if we're going to live digitally (and how can we not?), we need to be vigilant about protecting our privacy."
"You will probably not be shocked to hear that we're the problem on this one. It's usually human error in how you set it up and how you manage your Wi-Fi. The first thing Hutnik advised we immediately do is check our router settings. You get it out of the box - don't leave yourself with the default factory settings because guess what? Those are public, right? she warned."
"It's really easy for hackers to get into. You're able to change those factory settings, including your password, and so setting up a really strong password and not having the default is super important."
Online activity makes life more connected and convenient, but it also increases exposure to people who steal personal information. Large numbers of people experienced data compromises in 2024, making vigilance necessary for digital living. Improving privacy starts with securing home internet. Router setup often fails due to human error, especially leaving default factory settings in place. Default settings can be publicly known and make unauthorized access easier. Changing router settings, including replacing the default password with a strong password, reduces the risk of hackers entering the network.
Read at BuzzFeed
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