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Message: "Unsecured Network Detected" appears when running Smart Scan

This message appears when the Smart Scan detects that the Wi-Fi network your device is connected to is not secure.

Your Norton device security product has a feature to inform you how secure your Wi-Fi network is. Whenever your device connects to a Wi-Fi network, your Norton product automatically checks for the encryption level used by the Wi-Fi network and notifies you if it is unsecure.

Unsecure networks and associated risks

Most public Wi-Fi networks normally use the 'WEP' open authentication that is unsecure. This type of encryption has many security flaws that can cause your personal information, like your network traffic, to be seen.

Your home network can also be flagged as unsecured if the encryption type is set to 'WEP'. For enhanced security, we recommend that you choose 'WPA2' as the encryption type for your network, which is the most secure encryption type available.

An unsecured network could expose you to man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks, SSL strip attacks, content tampering attacks, ARP spoofing attacks, or DNS spoofing attacks.

Safety tips

When in doubt, make sure that your connection meets all the following conditions.

  • Make sure that the website you access starts with "https", not "http".

  • Do not access any public Wi-Fi connections without a password.

  • Do not click on any website link received from an email, always use your browser's address bar to access websites.

  • Never use a public Wi-Fi connection without a Virtual Private Network (VPN) like Norton Secure VPN.

  • Since many of these attacks primarily use malware for execution, make sure that your subscription is up to date.

We recommend you to do one of the following:

  • If you already have VPN included in your plan, click Turn On VPN.

    Norton creates a Virtual Private Network (VPN) that encrypts your sensitive data and lets you use the wireless connection securely.

  • If VPN is not included in your plan, click Leave Network and connect to a different network.

    We highly recommend that you upgrade to a plan that includes Norton Secure VPN to help keep you safe on Wi-Fi networks. You can check for Norton Secure VPN on Norton.com. If you received your Norton product from your service provider, contact your service provider for options.

Norton Secure VPN is currently not available for use within India as a result of governmental regulations requiring the logging and saving of user data, but you can still use it when traveling outside of India.

Video: Run Smart Scan

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DOCID: v20220106160203730
Operating System: Windows
Last modified: 11/18/2024