Make sure you password-protect WiFi/wireless networks.Make sure all PC’s on your network have good antivirus protection that is up-to-date and scanned regularly (between 3 and 7 days between full system scans).Have a short DHCP lease time (24 hours) for dynamically assigned IP addresses.Do not use a static IP address from your ISP unless absolutely necessary.Of course, if you are wanting to secure your home or business network to guard against criminals, you have a better chance at achieving this by optimizing a few important aspects of your network like: The NSA/CIA have the most high-tech gadgets at their disposal and can penetrate almost any network they want, so if you wish to stay truly anonymous online, make sure your entire data-flow is secured, from your keyboard, PC, LAN, firewall, modem and all the way to your desired network destination and back again. Even when you setup and pay for a proxy server or anonymity network service, if your PC or local LAN network is compromised, it’s all for nothing I’m afraid.If you have to use a proxy server make sure it is a reputable one (tips: searching forums can show a much information, paid services are sometimes the best). Anonymous proxy servers, renowned as dangerous and not so anonymous.There are some proxy servers that specify that they don’t keep any logs, but there is never a 100% guarantee. Records can be handed over to authorities if requested by a court of law. Servers (including proxy servers) generally log the real IP address of its users and therefore create a record of your activity.There are some exceptions and advisories to the above examples… These networks are setup all over the world and any http request can be routed to any number of servers, at any given time. Anonymity Networks – Another popular method requiring software installation are anonymity networks.There are also web-based proxy servers that you simply visit with your web browser and type in the web address. A proxy server is another computer situated between your machine and the internet that simply “passes” all your requests through itself, and sends its own identity (IP address) to the website server, thereby obscuring your information (think Escrow). Proxy Servers – This is probably the most popular method of hiding your IP address.Popular VPN services are IPVanish VPN, ExpressVPN, or NordVPN. Similar to a Proxy Server, a VPN is an encrypted tunnel between your computer, and a VPN server that could be located in any country. VPN (Virtual Private Network) – This is the most popular way to hide your IP address and even the country you’re living in. For the long answer, continue reading after these examples. There are a number of methods to hide your IP address, and we will look at some below in more detail. But remember, for whatever reason you had the static IP address assigned initially (such as: running web servers or certain games), you will likely have to change IP settings in those items as well, otherwise data is sent to the wrong IP address. If your ISP has assigned you a static IP address, the only way to change it is to call your ISP’s tech support line and ask it be changed. You may have to wait up to 5 minutes after power cycling to successfully re-connect to your ISP. This closes the connection to your ISP, and forces a new IP address negotiation when you switch it back on. What does power cycling your modem mean? Well, it’s as simple as switching off your modem (or unplugging the power cord), for 60 seconds and then switching it back on again (see example 1.a below). If you need a less complex option, simply power cycling your modem will renew your IP address quickly and easily 99% of the time (assuming DHCP connection). The value will likely be in seconds or minutes, example: 604800 seconds = 10080 minutes = 7 days. Most ISP’s set up their networks and user modems to automatically renew after 7 days (user connections are typically DHCP) however, if you are more technically minded, you can easily change the lease time by logging into your modem and altering the value to a lower number. It’s good practice to renew your IP address weekly at the very least. There are times when you need to change your IP address, for instance: after detecting a virus (trojan) or other threat on your computer, being targeted by a hacker, or as a general security measure.
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