In the pic below, there is a MAC address next to each device on the local network, and the router’s address is 11:22:33:44:55:66.

After you get the MAC address of the router, all internet activity will be going through the router.

The network card on your computer also has a unique MAC address. MAC address is an identifier of computer components, and in theory, it should be unique across billions of devices on the planet.

After submitting the correct password, the router sends back its MAC address.

Your computer or phone finds a WiFi router.

In layman terms, the process is the following: Your computer does not directly connect to the internet it sends and receives data by directing it through the router. If you have the internet at home from a cable, DSL, or fiber-optic provider, you have a router.

Let’s see what hackers can do if they are physically connected to the WiFi you are using. Your smartphone, iPhone, or Android, which uses the WiFi can be hacked as well. Or maybe you are using the office WiFi, and it was also hacked.Īnd it doesn’t have to be a computer, such as a Mac or PC. Or you may connect to the free WiFi in the cafe or hotel, but someone already hacked the network, and now everyone, including you, is a potential target. Hacking Computer Through Local WiFiĪs you probably guessed, it is much easier to hack the computer, which is in close proximity to the hacker’s device.įor instance, your neighbor can connect to your WiFi and use your internet for free. Let’s consider various scenarios of how the computer can be hacked and ways to protect your devices. If the hacker is outside of the WiFi range, then the way they attack will be different. In such a scenario, a rogue computer captures the traffic between a user computer or a phone and the Wi-Fi router and can read usernames, passwords, emails, and other sensitive information.

In general, cybercriminals hack Wi-Fi routers by employing Man In The Middle attacks, aka DNS Hijacking. However, the truth is that there are several simple things one can do to make sure that we are reasonably safe when browsing the internet without affecting our ability to access the information we need. Every day we see news about computers being hacked and how the cybercriminals make money off people clueless about the protection of their assets.įor someone not very technical, it may sound as if hackers are so powerful, and the only way to hide is to shut down all devices and go off the grid completely.

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