GoKawiilIf you’re like most people, you don’t think much about your Wi-Fi router. It’s probably sitting in some dusty corner of your house right now, only to be consulted when you have a problem.
But neglecting your router comes at a high price. This year, Russian intelligence hackers (APT28) exploited neglected home routers across 23 US states to build a shadow network, intercept network traffic and steal credentials. This coordinated attack confirms that your "set it and forget it" hardware is a primary target.
That’s because your home Wi-Fi router manages (and sees) every piece of data entering or leaving your home. “It plays a crucial role in what it allows the outside world to understand,” says Stephen Boyce, professor of cybersecurity at Duke University and CEO and president at The Cyber Doctor. “It really is that gateway for data coming in, as well as data going out.”
That means your router is critical to your online privacy (who can see your data) and security (keeping out bad actors).
Here’s what you need to know about this often overlooked piece of hardware -- and how you can turn it into an ally in your online privacy strategy.
Your Wi-Fi router acts as the single critical gateway for all your data, managing the connection between the internet and every device on your home network, from laptops and mobile phones to tablets and desktop computers. Viva Tung/CNET/Shutterstock
What your router knows about you
So, what exactly does your router see and understand about your internet activity? Well, as it turns out, quite a lot. Here’s a breakdown.
Device fingerprinting: A router keeps track of every device currently on its network (or that has been on it). That includes everything from phones and computers to smart fridges and baby monitors. Your router might also be able to detect what types of devices these are and treat them accordingly.
Traffic metadata: Even if your traffic is encrypted (with HTTPS), your router will still collect some metadata. For example, when a device is connected, the router can determine how long it’s online and how much data it’s using.
... continue reading