What you can do to secure your home network

1. Don't use Microsoft Windows. It has holes engineered into it paid for by NSA. Hackers will find some of these holes. Linux Mint 17 is a better operating system (OS)than Windows. It is free and more secure. You can download it from the Internet or buy a Linux magazine that includes a Mint DVD. You can install it and update it in less than on hour Try that with MS Windows.

2. Purchase a router with DD_WRT or Tomato firmware installed. It provides better security than the home router you can get at a computer store. It is also possible your existing router can be upgraded with either Tomato or DD-WRT firmware.

3. Configure your browser so it doesn't remember any history, There are also some great security browser extensions like Ghostery and No Script. Use the Duck, Duck, Go search engine because this search engine uses secure SSL security. Your Internet searches are not archived either.

4. By all means install anti-virus software on you PC before you connect to the Internet. If you are using Linux, ClamAV can be downloaded using the internal Synaptic Package Manager. Avast AV has to be downloaded from the AVAST website and you need to request a free registration key by email. Then run a virus scan on your home directory and then the complete OS.

5. Install a uninterpretable power supply to protect your PC, cable modem and router form surges, spikes, brownouts and drops. This upgrade can extend the life of your router, cable modem and PC or laptop for years.

6. If you are using wireless, use a 12-14 digit password and change it at least quarterly.

Hardinfo Ip connections display

7. In Linux, use Hardinfo IP connections check your security. You should not have any established connections to the Internet when your browser is closed. In this example the browser is connected to the Internet and I have two established connections. If you have any established connections with public IP addressees when the browser is closed, you probably have a Trojan or some other malware that is lurking in your PC.

8. Linux Mint has the IP tables firewall and you can use the GUFW front end to modify the firewall. You do need a basic understanding o IP addressing and ports to use this firewall. Likewise, the ClamAV anti-virus program has the Clam TK front end graphical user interface.

9.You can use Keypass to store passwords on your desktop or Lastpass extension in your browser. This will allow you to have many unique passwords for email, bank accounts and online retailers.

There are many other things you can do to improve security in your home networks. These are just some basics.

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