5 Signs Your Home WiFi Has Been Hacked (And What To Do About It)
Here's a thought that might ruin your morning: your home WiFi could be compromised right now, and you'd probably have no idea. Most people don't find out until something goes obviously wrong — and by then, the damage is often already done.
The good news? There are warning signs. And if you catch them early, sorting it out is pretty straightforward. Here are five things to look out for.
1. Your Internet Is Suddenly Much Slower Than Usual
Before you blame your broadband provider, consider this: if someone else is using your WiFi — a neighbour who cracked your password, or malicious software phoning home — they're using your bandwidth. If speeds have noticeably dropped without anything changing on your end, that's worth investigating.
What to do: Log into your router (usually by typing 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 into your browser) and look for a list of connected devices. If you see anything you don't recognise, that's a red flag.
2. Devices You Don't Recognise on Your Network
Your router keeps a list of every device connected to it — phones, laptops, smart TVs, all of it. If there's something on that list you can't account for, someone may have gained access to your network.
What to do: Check the device list in your router settings. If something looks unfamiliar, change your WiFi password immediately. Everything will need to reconnect — which also boots out any uninvited guests.
3. Your Router's Lights Are Going Mental When You're Not Using It
WiFi routers have indicator lights that flash when data is being sent or received. If you're not browsing, not streaming, not downloading — and those lights are going mad — something on your network is communicating without your knowledge.
What to do: Turn off your devices one by one and watch the lights. If they stop when a particular device is switched off, that device is the culprit. Run a malware scan on it immediately.
4. You're Being Logged Out of Accounts You Didn't Log Out Of
If your email, banking or social media accounts are logging you out unexpectedly — or you're getting "new sign-in" alerts from locations or devices you don't recognise — your credentials may have been compromised, often starting at the network level.
What to do: Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on every important account right now. Change your passwords for anything sensitive. Check whether your email has been leaked using haveibeenpwned.com.
5. Your DNS Settings Have Changed
A bit more technical, but it's a classic sign of router compromise. DNS is basically the internet's address book. If a hacker changes your DNS settings, they can redirect you to fake versions of real websites — a convincing-looking fake bank login page being the most dangerous example.
What to do: In your router settings, look for DNS entries. They should point to your ISP's servers, or trusted ones like 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) or 8.8.8.8 (Google). If you see something unrecognisable, change them immediately and consider a full router factory reset.
Right, So What Do I Do Now?
Your home WiFi is the front door to your digital life. Most people leave it on default settings with the password printed on a sticker on the back of the router — which is essentially leaving your front door unlocked with the key under the mat. A few simple changes — a strong unique password, WPA3 or WPA2 encryption, router firmware updated — make a massive difference.
If any of this sounds familiar, or you'd just like Jack to check everything over properly, that's exactly what the Home Cybersecurity Audit covers. He comes to you, checks everything without the jargon, and fixes anything that needs fixing. Usually done inside two hours.
Got a question about your WiFi security? Drop Jack a message — he's always happy to help.