Can A Router Get A Virus? Learn How to Protect Your Router from Malicious Attack

Recently, it has been found that most of the router users are coming up with an arbitrary question “can a router get a virus?”. The answer is Yes. Basically, the routers are inbuilt with an OS, and thus also have an interface and can be normally connected to the internet. Moreover, a router is more or less similar to a computer system and it runs customized software composed for a specific purpose. So, like all computer systems, the routers can too be affected by numerous types of viruses or malware.  

In fact, the viruses and malware can be the main culprit to ward off your router to work properly which leads to malfunctioning. Your router might also be affected due to online threats. In order to defend your router from the viruses, it is recommended to scroll down below and read on this article to know more about it.

Know How the Viruses and Malware Can Infect Your Router:

Many router users are complaining that their router is not working properly and it gets infected with viruses and malware. In fact, there are various types of strains of malware which may infect your router, such as Switcher Trojan. It can spread over your router by infecting a single device. If a malware and virus infected device is connected to your router’s network then, it can infect your router and expand the range of malware threats to all devices that are attached to your router’s network.

However, if you want to defend your router from the viruses and malware then, at first you need to understand the root of the viruses. Furthermore, this can help you to perfectly solve it and prevent it from happening again. Listed below we have analyzed and provided some of the most premium causes due to which the router gets infected:

1. Downloading some applications which are suspicious in design and language.  
2. Malware threats may infect your router through the suspicious looking web-links.
3. Downloading some applications that have few reviews and downloads.
4. Irregular virus scanning process.
5. The malware or viruses are distributed via malicious applications that are disguised as common and popular apps.   
6. Surfing some malicious websites through the router’s network.
7. You might connect some devices which are pre-infected with the viruses and malware threats.

Here’s How You Can Protect Your Router From the Malware Threats and Viruses:

Regrettably, the routers are not as defended and protective as it should be and that’s the reason why this question “can a router get a virus?” continuously triggers in the user’s mind. Your router’s model may be infected by several types of viruses and it’s not at all possible to recover your router once it is fully infected by the malware threats. To get rid of this hassle, you need to buy a new one. But, luckily there are some types of viruses that can be easily blocked if you grab the required precautions. Make sure to be aware of such essential precautions as it will help to secure your router from any such malicious online threats, such as safe online habits.

However, if you are looking for the necessary precautions to protect your router from malware threats, then, your searching ends with us. Some of the most effective precautions are stated hereunder:

Step 1:     

At first, you need to upgrade your router firmware. You need to check your router manufacturer’s official website often to verify if any latest firmware version of the router is available or not.

Step 2:

After that, you need to go to the router’s set up page. After doing that, make sure that the remote administration is turned off.

Step 3:

Now, you need to modify the name of your wireless network.

Step 4:

After that, modify the password of your router, which gets you into the router’s setup. Besides this, it is essential to create a strong password of at least 8 characters, while framing a new password for your router.

Furthermore, the password of your router should not be related to anything personal. Also, it should include a liberal amount of random cases, numbers, and special characters. As an example “!”, “$” and “#” and many more.

Conclusion

This article not only provides a satisfactory answer to “can a wi-fi router get a virus?” but also covers the effective guidelines on how to get rid of it. Moreover, we have mentioned some necessary precautionary steps which can help you to protect your router. However, you do not require any extra technical knowledge or skills to perform the steps. Therefore, go through the above-mentioned steps which can give you the optimal solution on time. In case, you face any confusion or trouble, it is advised to opt for an expert’s help.