Government to crackdown on illegal downloaders

Commenting on news that the Government is to make a commitment to legislating against people who download content illegally, Rob Barnes, head of broadband and mobiles at moneysupermarket.com, said: "IIlegal downloading is a growing problem for the music and film industries and some would argue tighter regulation is required.

“Research from moneysupermarket.com shows one in three (29 per cent) Brits have knowingly or unwittingly downloaded illegal files. In addition, nearly one in five (18 per cent) have given someone or been offered a pirate disc.

“However, enforcement of legislation has always been a problem particularly because people can tap into wireless networks without authority. Many wireless routers can reach distances of up to 200 feet. If you can access your network in your back garden then so can your neighbours. “Wi-fi piggybacking” becomes far more sinister if someone uses your wireless connection for criminal activity. This could be accessing your internet connection to download obscene material, gathering personal information to defraud you or even stealing your identity.”

The best advice to stop “wi-fi piggybaking” are as follows:

Change your wireless network name from the generic manufacturers name – it is then less likely that other users will log onto it accidentally

Enable secure encryption of your wireless network – this will help prevent easy access to your network

Automatically set up your own computer to log onto your own network
Purchase additional internet security/firewall software to increase personal security
Close all ports on your router if any are open.
Change the SSID (i.e. router name) of your router to something you will recognise but in no way relates to you, your broadband provider or the router manufacturer, e.g. (don’t put your router name as “Franks Router” or “Linksys” as they will try to use the default passwords to access it).