WiFi Security: Assessment of threats in wireless networks
08/03/2024Wifi connectivity has gone from being limited to restricted environments to becoming omnipresent in virtually every aspect of our daily lives. The ability to connect to the Internet from anywhere, be it at home, in a café, at work, in public spaces, or even in-flight, has enhanced the convenience in our daily lives. Moreover, the expansion of Wifi networks and the use of new manufacturing technologies now allow the interconnection of devices, leading to the significant rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) and providing users with more comprehensive control over their digital environments. However, this proliferation of Wifi networks has also given rise to new threats that require careful evaluation and effective security strategies to ensure secure and risk-free Wifi connections for our data and information. Common Wifi security threats include data interception Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks One of the fundamental challenges in Wifi security is preventing MITM attacks, where an intruder inserts themselves into the communication between two parties, compromising the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive data such as passwords and financial information. Spoofing of access points Hackers can create fake Wifi networks that mimic legitimate ones to attract unsuspecting users. Once connected to these malicious networks, our data can be captured by cybercriminals who may sell or misuse it for illicit purposes. Tips for achieving a secure Wifi connection: Strengthen authentication and use security protocols Prioritize strong encryption for networks to protect confidential information transmitted through it. WPA (Wifi Protected Access) encryption uses stronger algorithms than its predecessor, WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), making it more difficult for hackers to intercept and decipher data. Advanced security protocols like WPA3 provide individualized data encryption and advanced two-factor authentication (2FA) methods, adding an extra layer of security by requiring additional verification. Device management Properly manage and monitor devices connected to Wifi networks to minimize risks associated with the large number of connected devices in homes and businesses. Regularly update the router firmware and all connected devices to address potential vulnerabilities. Segmentation of the network to separate critical devices from less secure ones also helps mitigate the risk of threat propagation. Secure Router Configuration The router secure configuration is what will ensure the robustness and overall security of a wireless network. The router, being the first point of contact for devices connected to the Internet, acts as the first line of defence against potential attacks. For this reason, it is important to understand that the proper configuration of the router not only guarantees a stable and efficient connection but also establishes a protected environment that safeguards the integrity and privacy of our data. How to configure the router securely? To ensure a correct and secure configuration of the router, it is recommended to: Change the default username and password of the router, as these are easily accessible to attackers. Use strong passwords containing a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. Disable remote administration to prevent cybercriminals from accessing the router externally. Enable WPA2 or WPA3 encryption instead of the outdated WEP for enhanced network security. Optionally, disable SSID broadcast to make the network less visible and harder to detect by hackers. Keep the router firmware updated to address vulnerabilities and improve overall device security. By following these steps, you will strengthen the security of your wireless network and reduce the chances of experiencing unwanted attacks or intrusions.
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How can I hide my IP?
Accessing the Internet involves connecting our computer, smartphone, tablet, etc. to a communications server that is responsible for providing access to the network. This connection involves the identification and exchange of data about our identity, IP address, and online activities that are recorded forever as a trace of our navigation. Can I be tracked through my IP address? Yes, it is possible to trace an IP address and for those who consider privacy a priority, this is a major problem because, in addition to being exposed throughout the network, the increasingly intensive use of the Internet has led to this type of data becoming an object of interest for cybercriminals seeking personal or confidential information that can be used for their benefit. To safeguard against all this, there are several methods to hide the IP address, ensure our online privacy, improve our security on the Internet, and prevent anyone from knowing what pages we visit, the time we have spent on every connection, or what we are downloading. What are the advantages of hiding my IP? Apart from everything related to privacy and security already mentioned, hiding the IP offers different advantages for users in multiple circumstances: There are IP hiding services that prevent IP geolocation when we travel and allow us to connect to the network as if we were doing it from our own country, overcoming, for example, any network access limitations that may exist in the place where we are. We will be able to download files anonymously avoiding that the rest of the users can see our IP location. If our IP is not "in sight", the possible limitations and blockages of the Wi-Fi network and even of our ISP (Internet Service Provider) disappear. Thanks to the data encryption system of the most advanced IP hiding services, our vulnerability in connections to public Wi-Fi networks is minimized. When the system detects a location different from the real one, this can give us advantages to buy in online stores with different offers according to the country or to avoid the blocking of games, maps, and online game add-ons that may have restrictions on our location. How can I hide my IP? IP hiding is achieved through the use of specific services and tools to hide the IP and encrypt our traffic, those services allow us to hide the real communications we make during our navigation. Besides those techniques that are based on the modification of network protocols and require certain skills to carry them out, there are several technologies within the reach of all users: VPN or Virtual Private Network Proxy or Web proxy Tor Public Wifi How to hide the IP address with a VPN? VPNs are services that connect us to the Internet through intermediate servers, in which our original IP address is " masked " by the IP address of that secure server. This concealment ensures that anyone tracing our connection will only see the IP address and location of the VPN server, but not our own. In addition, to safeguard our activity on the network, VPNs use tunneling and data encryption, encrypting the information we exchange with the VPN server, hiding it, and preventing third parties from being able to read it during its transit. The security of VPN connections is determined by proprietary VPN protocols, based on different standards and encryption and authentication methods, which depend on each developer. The range of options is wide and this allows us to choose between, for example, options that prioritize speed over security, options that do the opposite, options with a greater or lesser degree of reliability, etc. VPN applications always run in the background and do not hinder browsing. How to use a proxy server to hide the IP address? Unlike VPN services, proxy servers focus their activity solely on hiding the IP, without performing any type of concealment on our network traffic or any other data that could reveal our identity. Proxy servers act as intermediaries between our device and the destination server to which they transmit our requests on our behalf. Therefore, our IP will be hidden and the only one they will see will be the proxy one. There are different types of proxy services, from the simplest ones that only help us to hide the IP to others with extra functionalities such as blocking cookies, scripts, and other files hosted on websites and sent to the user. Browsers or applications based on the HTTP protocol offer the manual proxy configuration function so that we can indicate the proxy web address and port to which we want to connect before browsing. In this way, any activity that we perform through that browser will always be routed to the proxy. Alternatively, you can also opt for the automatic proxy format that searches through DNS or DHCP for the URL from which to download the wpad.dat file that runs and allows the proxy connection with automatic authentication on your computer. How to hide your IP with Tor? Tor is a free software developed to ensure anonymous browsing of users on the Internet. To mask the IP Tor uses a network of volunteer computers or nodes through which it redirects our traffic and encrypts it before it reaches its destination. At least this redirection goes through three of these nodes, achieving repetitive re-encryptions so that any possible clue about our identity disappears. In this process, Tor assigns a random and geographically different IP to our connection so that the location by third parties is impossible (if you are curious to know the IP you have been assigned you can check it through our tool). This system allows different configurations depending on whether we are using a firewall, if our ISP is blocking Tor connections or if we navigate through proxy for example. Can I hide my IP with a public Wi-Fi connection? The answer is yes. A public Wi-Fi network can also be used to hide our IP address, although if we do not have it constantly at our disposal, the IP hiding is limited to the time we have access to a public network. As this type of network is a connection shared by many other people, this makes it impossible to trace a particular user or identify them on the destination server. However, it is precisely this general access that also makes us more vulnerable. And although through a connection to a public Wi-Fi we will solve the issue of IP hiding, security will never be total, because being an open network, we can be exposed to the will of hackers and other threats, including malware and viruses. And if I want to hide my IP address, how can I change it? It may also be the case that instead of masking the IP all we need to do is change our IP address at a given moment. Then, the solution is as simple as disconnecting the modem from the power supply and restarting it after a few minutes. In that time, if your IP address is dynamic (you can check it through the network connections tab on your computer), it will be deleted and your Internet provider will give you a new one. To make sure that everything went well, we recommend doing something as simple as writing down the IP address before turning off the router and checking it again once it is up and running again. Another possible way to achieve the same result if you have a smartphone with a data plan is to turn this device into a wireless access point to which you can connect your computer, thus hiding your usual connection. There are many options to hide the IP or to change it and now that you know how each of them works you will be able to decide which one suits you best.
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Google Integrates Gemini AI into Google Ads
29/01/2024Google has commenced the integration of Gemini's Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the conversational experience of its Google Ads service. This integration aims to assist marketing professionals in creating more effective advertising campaigns through the generation of specific content. Conversational Experience Empowered by Gemini Initially available for English-speaking advertisers in the United States and the United Kingdom in beta, this expansion will roll out globally in the coming weeks, with plans to include other languages in the near future. By providing the website's URL, the AI generates relevant advertising content, including creative pieces and keywords, facilitating the creation of optimized campaigns. Suggestions for Tailored Images in Captivating Visual Campaigns In an upcoming development, Google Ads' conversational experience will also include the ability to suggest images tailored to the campaign through the use of generative AI and materials from the advertiser's landing page. This feature, scheduled for implementation in the coming months, will provide advertisers with a comprehensive solution for creating visually appealing campaigns. Google has emphasized that all images generated by AI in Google Ads will be clearly identified, thanks to the SynthID technology that places an invisible watermark accompanied by open standard metadata.
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5G will trigger data consumption that will multiply by three in five years
18/03/2022In 2025, 25% of global data connections will be 5G, compared to 8% at the end of 2021, according to GSMA forecasts, which also indicate that this greater implementation will have a greater impact, even in Europe, North America, China and some Asian countries, where the percentage of 5G penetration would be higher in that date. Among the main consequences of the 5G expansion, will be a greater consumption of data by users, has said GSMA and if, at the moment, the data traffic per smartphone in a month, is 11.4Gb on average, the forecasts by 2027 place it at 41Gb, three times more. And according to the organization that brings together the telecommunications industry and organizes the MWC in Barcelona, as the population has access to 5G, there will be a significant increase in streaming consumption, favored by a sudden drop in download times that will become negligible. The use of remote health services, ultra-high definition television (4K/8K) and 5G as home broadband are also expected to grow.
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What is the value of a Bitcoin?
11/06/2021Since Bitcoin first appeared in 2009, this digital currency not issued by any government or company, nor, under the umbrella of any kind of economic policy, has gained a foothold in the market and has already started to fit into existing legal frameworks. What gives Bitcoin its value? The great value of Bitcoin is that it is a decentralized and global currency, an alternative to fiat currencies (those issued by governments). All transactions with Bitcoins are public and each of these crypto currencies belongs exclusively to its owner, therefore, it is a currency that cannot be intervened by anyone. What can I do with Bitcoins? To date, with this cryptocurrency, it is possible to monetize all kinds of services, in addition to making investments, free or practically free of commissions, which in the medium to long term are proving attractive. This has made Bitcoin an asset in which to invest and an increasingly popular means of payment through which to transfer value from one user to another without losing friction along the way, going through an intermediary or paying a commission. What is the price of a Bitcoin? Like any other good, the price of a Bitcoin varies according to market demand, although the fact that it has been designed to behave as a deflationary asset and that its supply is limited to 21 million coins, facilitates that by the law of supply and demand itself, the Bitcoin exchange rate tends to rise continuously. As of June 9, at the time of writing this article, the Bitcoin value today is 30,007.86 euros, 3.4 times its price a year ago, when the Bitcoin to Euro conversion rate was 8,629.5 Bitcoins for 1 euro. In 2010 Bitcoin price was less than one Euro cent. What does the value of Bitcoin depend on? The value of Bitcoin depends on the trust and acceptance of users to use it, hence why Bitcoin is rising in value some days and not others. As Bitcoin has been implemented as a means of payment in multiple transactions and its popularity has grown, its value has grown in parallel. Likewise, when there have been news or events that have questioned, for example, the suitability of this crypto currency, its price has fallen. Like any other currency, the price of Bitcoin fluctuates and it is the users themselves who set it at the time of the purchase and sale transaction, which prevents the existence of a single price for Bitcoin, since it is not operated through a single platform as is the case with other currencies. Even so, buying and selling prices of Bitcoins tend to be quite similar. To know how much Bitcoin costs, there are several online platforms, known as "Bitcoin trading platforms" that report live the evolution of the value of the cryptocurrency. Is it safe and profitable to invest in Bitcoin? As with any other asset, investing in Bitcoins is profitable if we know how to do it at the right time. On the other hand, the Blockchain technology on which Bitcoin is based is reliable and difficult to manipulate, with no risk of being counterfeited, although some experts believe that the perfect, 100% inviolable system has not yet been created. In the cryptocurrency segment, convertibility is contemplated, so that Bitcoins can be exchanged for fiat currencies. What can I buy with Bitcoins? Over the last few years, a large number of companies have incorporated Bitcoin as an official method of payment for their goods and services From travel companies to ticket sales platforms for all kinds of shows, through gaming platforms, digital bookstores, software stores or even non-profit organizations already accept this digital currency. That is, Destinia, 13tickets, Gear Best, Shopify, Wordpress, Hostinger, Greenpeace,... among many other companies. eBay is currently considering adding Bitcoin as a method of payment. What is Bitcoin mining and how are Bitcoins generated? The users themselves through a totally decentralized system create Bitcoins. To become a bitcoin creator, computers with high computational capacity are needed to process and verify transactions and quickly solve the complex digital processes of generating the currency. This work is called mining and one of its best attractions is that the system offers "miners" rewards in Bitcoins in exchange for these services, which has made this activity very appealing for certain users. Is it profitable to mine Bitcoins in Spain? Bitcoin mining requires very powerful equipment, with high calculation capacities to solve operations, being nowadays totally inoperative for this operation the PCs of domestic or office use. The investment to mine Bitcoins requires, in addition, to assume the large power consumption required by this more powerful equipment, which makes Spain, at this time due to the high price of KW/h, an uninteresting market for mining Bitcoins. On the contrary, other locations such as China, Iceland, Iran or Georgia, where the Bitcoin mining business is in full expansion, are very interesting.
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