Identifying router vulnerabilities

Today Internet is the gateway for people to connect themselves to the larger world. At any given point in time, millions of people log in to this network. But all of them might not be there for the cute cat videos or viral content that most of us like. Some may have malicious intent towards you and are looking for a chance to compromise your security.

For most people, Wii-fi routers are their gateway to the world of the Internet. The device that connects two or more packet-switched networks or subnetworks is called a router. In simple words, It is your entry point to the Internet. To know more, click this link here now. Now, these routers are known to be very vulnerable to unwanted access. Hackers can find vulnerable points in your system and use them to exploit your network for their benefit. We should vary of these hackers lurking in their networks and spying on them, which is quite unsettling

Now let’s see how you can ensure your security by searching for these vulnerabilities. we should start with some beginner-level checks

1. First, keep your IP address safe. The IP address is a unique address that identifies a device on the Internet. The IP address is basically like your home address that can pinpoint your approximate location. You probably can imagine what can happen if your IP address is known to the wrong person.
2. You can find more vulnerabilities like missing security patches and poorly configured servers using the website pentest-tools.com. Open the website>click network scans>enter your IP address>click scan. This scan can identify open ports in the network. These ports are like leaking ceilings in your house which, if not repaired, will continue leaking water inside your home. Similarly, if unsafe ports remain unidentified, hackers can use them to compromise your network.
3. Check your router password, People mostly do not change their default password, and it becomes easy for hackers to access their network.

Now let’s move towards more advanced methods. If you are not that tech-savvy, you can leave these methods, but if you are a geek, you will enjoy this.

We will use a tool called Nmap to identify vulnerabilities in our network, Nmap is available on Windows and Kali Linux, but it is better to use it in Kali Linux.

What is Nmap?

Network Mapper(Nmap) is an open-source utility for network discovery, a security auditing and network scanning independent tool used by network administrators to detect the devices currently running on the system and the port number by which the devices get connected.

Many systems and network administrators are used to manage network inventory, service upgrade schedules, monitoring hosts, and service uptime.

Installation guide

1. Open your Linux terminal.
2. type the command–> $ sudo apt update
3. Input your password
4. After the process is complete, type–>$ sudo apt install nmap
5. Type y when prompt to continue the operation appears
6.  Installation is now complete.

How to use it?

1. Nmap port scanning – let’s find hosts which can be exploited in the network by pinging. Install and use the Vmware workstation to use these commands. In the console type –> Nmap -sp <your network address> (do take care of the spaces). This command will tell you the number of active hosts and their details.
2. Checking for open ports – when you access any website, you access them via ports, typically ports 80 and 443. To know if these ports are open type the command–> Nmap -sT -p 80,443 <your network address> . This command works with the TCP(transfer control protocol) to detect any active ports in the network. TCP dictates how application data is transmitted as packets in a network.
3. OS detection – with this command, you can determine what operating system the hosts are using on the server. This information could be used to compromise your security. The command for this is –> sudo nmap -0 <host address>
4. Vulnerability scanning – You can scan and get a detailed list of common vulnerabilities of your network using the command–> sudo nmap –script vuln <your IP address>

Some basic measures to enhance your network security

1. DO NOT leave your router password to default. You may not realize how many hackers are lurking out there to gain easy access to your systems. Prevent it at all costs and use a strong password for your router.
2. Get a better router – It may be lucrative to buy a cheaper Router for your home. But, you should search for a router with enhanced firmware and security features to minimize your vulnerabilities.
3. Use VPN(virtual private networks) to safeguard your IP address. VPN routes all your data packages through an encrypted virtual tunnel and protects your IP address.
4. Set up a separate guest network in your router for your guests to access, so your primary network remains uncompromised.
5. Disable WPS to avoid misuse of the wireless network.

We have covered some basic commands that you can be used to check any vulnerabilities that may plague your home network and take adequate measures to remove them. You can learn and use even more commands from the Nmap manual as these are just the tip of the iceberg, as there are many more vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit at your expense so be sure to educate yourself properly on this topic from more resources that are freely available and use this knowledge safeguard your privacy from malicious hackers on the Internet.