What to do for Chromecast hackers

If you ever used dial-up networking to access the internet, you probably remember it mostly for being cumbersome and slow.

But it was also astonishingly insecure, because your computer – which was probably running Windows 95, Windows 3, or even good old DOS – ended up with a public-facing IP number, connected straight onto to the internet.

Other users out there could, literally and figuratively, reach out and probe your computer directly.

In recent years, however, we’ve got used to the idea that home computers don’t get plugged directly onto the internet – they typically connect through a router instead, and it’s the router that’s plugged into the internet connection.

Indeed, it’s tempting to assume that home routers came about specifically to address the security risks inherent in connecting laptops and other home devices straight onto the internet…

…but the truth is that the main reason for having a home router is to support multiple devices through connection sharing.

That means your ISP only needs to hand out one IP number per household, rather than one IP number per device.