Wireless broadband users would be wise to encrypt their connections to reduce the risk of becoming victims of crime, an expert has suggested.

The UK Cards Association recently revealed that the amount of money lost as a result of online banking fraud rose by 14 per cent last year compared to 2008.

That's a whopping £59.7 million in total.

And the organisation explained that this could be down to criminals being more sophisticated in their approach to attacks and use of malware.

Tony Neate, managing director of Get Safe Online, commented on the findings by saying people "need to make sure they protect themselves and their PCs against the known threats that are out there now".

But how's best to do this?

We've all got our passwords, carefully thought out with as many numbers and capital letters as we can possibly jam in, and anti-virus software.

However, Mr Neate added: "I have seen a massive upturn of people who are securing their wireless network with encryption. That is right."

This, according to About.com's internet security section, will protect your data and is easy enough to carry out with the help of your wireless router's owner's manual.

"If you can use WPA you should because it is much more secure," it states.

And what about people who want to keep their PC secure but don't have wireless broadband?

Well, Mr Neate advised them to install spyware detection software, enable updates on their operating system and applications and limit the amount of personal information on social networking sites.

Categories: Wireless Broadband

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