Last year while we were all in lockdown, reports started to emerge regarding something that allowed hackers to inject malicious code or commands into encrypted WiFi traffic – Ars Technica ref: Vulnerabilities in billions of Wi-Fi devices let hackers bypass firewalls This vulnerability was called FragAttacks and affected so many devices, most of the worlds leading tech companies had to scramble to provide patches for their hardware.
As FragAttacks require proximity to your wireless network, and a high level of skill to complete. The risk to home users was fairly low. However these sorts of scares, are good reminders to regularly check that all of our devices are up to date with the latest firmware and system software updates.
We would also recommend to anyone with a wireless router that is over 5 years old, that they consider upgrading to newer technology. This is particularly true for anyone now working from home. However, as it can be expensive to buy a new router. If you are using a wireless router provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Your ISP might be willing to swap out your old router free of charge.
Consider moving your IoT
You should also seriously consider moving all your Internet of Things (IoT) devices into their own isolated WiFi network. That way if an IoT device is compromised, it will not be able to infect your computers or NAS. However as this requires the creation of multiple WiFi points with their own VLANS. You might find that your model of router simply does not have that functionality. So if you are not looking to buy a new wireless router, the next best option is to place your IoT devices on your guest WiFi network.
Ubiquiti Dream Router looks very interesting
For anyone thinking about buying a new WiFi 6 router. The recently released Ubiquiti Dream Router is certainly worth considering. While we have not yet had a chance to purchase one as they are currently in very short supply. We do run a Ubiquiti Dream Machine Pro on our home network. So we expect the Dream Router to have similar functionality, but at a cheaper price.
So at least on paper the new Ubiquiti Dream Router, looks to be an interesting wireless router for home network enthusiasts. Not only is it scalable, offers cutting edge technology and should future proof your wireless network. It will also allow you to create VLANs for multiple wireless access points to secure your IoT devices.
However based on our own experience with Ubiquiti hardware (the Dream Machine Pro). We found that there is a very steep learning curve compared to other wireless routers, and we did have to do a lot of tinkering to get everything working the way we wanted.
Web postings
First we need to say a big “thank you” to everyone who has become a site member over the last couple of months. We really do appreciate your support, and it does help with the creation of new content. So this month for our site members, will be adding another video in our Synology NAS beginners guide series, along with some additional content.
As to the Synology NAS beginners guide series, now that we have more content we plan to start to shape it into an exclusive course for our site members. While in a very early stage of development, hopefully we will have more news next month.
However, this month will be the first time we will be making a piece of early access content accessible to everyone. Which means that in conjunction with its release on YouTube, at the end of the month everyone will be able to see our video on “How to uninstall Active Insight” on a Synology NAS.
As to the other videos we plan to release on the website. We plan to post videos that demonstrate how to disable the lock screen tips and messages in Windows 11. We also have a video on how to set an iPhone so that it defaults too speakerphone. Finally, we will be releasing a video that looks at running a diagnostic test on a Chromebook.
YouTube Postings
As we are still very much reliant on YouTube to fund our website. This month we will be posting to YouTube, our videos looking at restoring closed tabs in Chrome browser. A video on Testing your Internet connection from the macOS terminal. A video on how to pair a Sony dual sense controller to ChromeOS, and our video showing people how to uninstall active insight on a Synology NAS.
Add comment