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The 15-minute home security check-up

Six checks, in the order that protects the most for the least effort. Set a timer and work down the list.

8 min read

White home Wi-Fi router on a yellow background

Most home security problems aren't clever attacks. They're old passwords, skipped updates and a router nobody has looked at since it was installed. Fixing those takes less time than people expect.

1. Updates on everything (3 minutes)

Install pending updates on your computer, phone and tablet, then turn on automatic updates for the system and the apps. Include the browser. Updates are mostly security fixes for problems that are already public.

2. Your email account first (3 minutes)

Your email is the key to every other account, because password resets go there. Give it a long, unique password and turn on two-step verification, ideally with an authenticator app or a passkey rather than SMS. Check the recovery phone number and email are current.

3. Check for reused and leaked passwords (3 minutes)

If you use a password manager, run its security report and note anything reused or flagged as leaked. If you don't, check your email address on a breach-notification site such as Have I Been Pwned, and change passwords for anything that appears there.

Where to start if you have no password manager: set one up tonight and add just three accounts: email, banking and your main shopping account. Add the rest as you log in to them over the next few weeks.

4. The router (3 minutes)

  • Change the admin password if it's still the one printed on the sticker.
  • Check for a firmware update, and turn on automatic updates if it offers them.
  • Make sure Wi-Fi uses WPA2 or WPA3 encryption.
  • Turn off WPS and remote management unless you actually use them.

5. Backups (2 minutes)

Confirm that photos and documents are backed up somewhere other than the device itself, and that the backup ran recently. Ransomware and a dropped phone have the same cure.

6. Protection on every device (1 minute)

Check each device has security software running and up to date, including the phones, and that a VPN is set up for when you're away from home. One subscription covering every device is easier to keep on top of than separate tools.

Repeat it twice a year

Put a reminder in your calendar for six months' time. The second run takes half as long, because the hard part, setting things up, is already done.