Protect your wireless and wired connection for a secure online shopping
When it's time to shop online, you can use two type of connections :
- Wireless
- Wired
A notebook or desktop may use both types of connection, but a smart phone or tablet will usually use a wireless connection only.
Most of the time, a simple action would be very useful to help save you a lot of time and protect you from many intrusions.
In this article, you will find useful information related to the wireless and wired security of your network devices, your mobile devices, and your computers. You will also learn how to set up your connection for minimum or maximum protection.
If you don't know how to fix the following settings, you can contact the technical support team of your vendor or visit any computer store to have them set it up (they may charge you for this service). You can make an online search to know how to proceed.
1. Wireless Connection
A wireless connection may be secure or not, depending on how it was set up correctly. For your router connection at home, I suggest to enable the following features:
- Choose wpa2 security (more secure than WEP). Soon, the wpa3(higher security) will be available in the next routers.
- Wireless setup schedule if available. Some routers have a feature to turn on/off your wireless signal automatically according to your schedule, for example, sleep or work period.
Maximum wireless security settings
- Wpa2 security.
- mac address filtering (you will need to add each MAC address of your devices manually).
- SSID hidden. This setup feature will hide your wireless network to people at your place. However, you will have to add all devices manually in your wireless network.
- Set up a wireless setup schedule.
- Deactivate the ping from WAN features.
2. Wired connection
Usually, one of the safer Internet connections is the network cable connection; however, it requires you to use a lot of cables in your location and also switches in case you have multiple devices. 
With the wired cable connection, you are vulnerable most of the time if you were hacked online with a malware (spyware, keylogger, etc.) downloaded by mistake and installed on your computer (by email, attached files, infected linked, infected website).
What may happen if you don’t secure your Internet connection correctly?
An unsecured connection may bring many troubles, not only to your computer, but also to your data or your sensitive information. When you are not using a protected connection or device, you might have many issues:
- Your wireless device is open to the intrusion from anybody in your area.
- Anybody can steal your personal or financial information like your credit card numbers, passwords.
- Anybody can follow all your online activities.
- People can remotely control your computer.
Thank you for your reading time!
Mark M.