Panorama - data hackers.

[spongebob59]

Having just watched this, just wondering just how vulnerable home pc's are and what precautions you can take indoors.

Obviously program didn't go into numbers but struck home as her indoors knows the daughter of the older couple involved.

 

[Khamelion]

I would say most home PC's are quite vulnerable. If you have a smart phone, let it sniff out the WIFI connections in your area, I would reckon you'll find at least one that's not password protected. Most WIFI routers out the box from a BB supplier tell you who the WIFI is, BT, SKY, Virgin, it's then just a simple process of checking the web for the default username and password, you can the login to the WIFI box, change IP addresses and if you were that way inclined login to your neighbours WIFI and well do what you want.

It only takes a little bit of knowledge or help from someone who knows how to configure a vendor WIFI router and you can use the built in firewall to block incoming traffic and only allow outgoing traffic from devices behind the firewall i.e. your PC's etc...

I suppose I've gone overkill as I've two firewalls and Internet/AV software on my home PC.

 

[Slime]

I suppose I've gone overkill as I've two firewalls and Internet/AV software on my home PC.

I've been led to believe that two firewalls is actually counter productive as they can get in each others' way.
I think you're safer with just one firewall.


Slime.

 

[Dan2501]

I would say most home PC's are quite vulnerable. If you have a smart phone, let it sniff out the WIFI connections in your area, I would reckon you'll find at least one that's not password protected. Most WIFI routers out the box from a BB supplier tell you who the WIFI is, BT, SKY, Virgin, it's then just a simple process of checking the web for the default username and password, you can the login to the WIFI box, change IP addresses and if you were that way inclined login to your neighbours WIFI and well do what you want.

Only morons have Routers that are available to connect to without a password. There's not an ISP out there that supplies a router without a password as default. In the majority of cases regular people that get hacked only do so because they've made stupid mistakes. Using idiotic passwords, storing passwords in a document on their pc, freely giving people information if they ring and ask for it, clicking fake links, all can be easily avoided with a bit of common sense.

So long as your router is secured, you have a firewall in place, run regular virus scans and don't do anything stupid, you'll be fine and avoid being hacked. It's businesses that are most at risk.