Rajasthan police warns households to tighten Wi-Fi security amid cyber awareness drive

As part of its September

Rajasthan Police has folded a warning about home Wi-Fi security into its month-long September cyber-safety campaign, recasting the household router as a frontline security risk rather than a routine broadband accessory. According to NDTV India and ETGovernment, the cyber crime branch issued the advisory on 5 September, only days after the force began a statewide “Cyber Safe Rajasthan” awareness drive under the direction of DGP Rajeev Kumar Sharma to tackle online fraud, cybercrime and digital scams. (ndtv.in)

The first step, police said, is to check whether unknown devices are already using the connection. Users who suspect unauthorised access were told to connect a phone or laptop to the same network, open the router’s administration page in a browser and inspect entries shown under labels such as “Connected Devices”, “Device List” or “Attached Devices”. Any device that cannot be recognised should be investigated and removed. NDTV India’s Jaipur report said these controls are often reached through local router addresses such as 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1. (ndtv.in)

The advisory goes beyond basic monitoring. Households were told to replace the manufacturer’s default administrator password immediately, create a stronger Wi-Fi password and avoid network names that reveal personal identity or advertise the router brand. V. K. Singh, the additional director general of police for cyber crime, said weak router protection can let outsiders onto networks that now carry phones, laptops, smart televisions and other connected devices, creating risks that range from reduced speeds and higher data use to data leakage, cyber fraud, hacking and exposure of personal information. Police recommended enabling WPA3 encryption where the hardware supports it, with WPA2-AES as the minimum fallback, and said obsolete settings such as WEP and older WPA modes should not be used. (ndtv.in)

Other parts of the notice show how closely the police are focusing on common weaknesses in consumer networking equipment. WPS, or Wi-Fi Protected Setup, should remain disabled, they said, while remote management should be turned off unless there is a clear operational need, reducing the chance of someone trying to reach router settings from outside the home network. Smart televisions, cameras and other internet-of-things devices were also identified as candidates for a separate guest network so that a compromised appliance does not sit alongside more sensitive devices. The police further advised regular firmware updates and, where practical, MAC-address whitelisting to restrict access to trusted hardware. That advice fits a wider pattern in Rajasthan’s official cyber guidance, with the state technology department having already published public notices on password security, multi-factor authentication and public Wi-Fi use. (ndtv.in)

The router warning sits inside a much broader public-awareness effort. ETGovernment and a Bhasha report carried by IBC24 said Rajasthan Police designated September 2026 as “Cyber Safe Rajasthan” or “Cyber Surakshit Rajasthan” awareness month, with Superintendent of Police-1 (R4C) appointed as state nodal officer and additional superintendent-rank officers handling coordination in each district. The programme is planned to reach schools, colleges and universities through lectures, workshops, quizzes, seminars and competitions, while students are also expected to take part in one-day human chains intended to spread cyber-safety messaging. (government.economictimes.indiatimes.com)

The campaign is also designed to move far beyond classrooms and police offices. According to IBC24, pensioners and other senior citizens are to receive special attention, with cyber officers at police stations working with the pensions department to explain “digital arrest” fraud, fake investment schemes and other common offences. The same report said awareness activities are to extend into rural areas with support from the postal department and Panchayati Raj institutions at gram panchayat level. ETGovernment reported that the force also intends to use posters, street plays, audio-visual material, local FM radio, television channels, cinema halls, private cable networks and digital displays at markets, bus stands, railway and metro stations, religious sites and tourist destinations. (ibc24.in)

That escalation reflects a threat picture the force has already been describing for months. In May, Amar Ujala reported that Rajasthan Police had warned of AI- and deepfake-based fraud targeting Aadhaar-linked systems. Police said criminals were using tools including Google Gemini AI, ChatGPT and Grok, first collecting personal data through leaks, phishing and social engineering, then attempting to change the mobile number linked to an Aadhaar record through Common Service Centres and “Update Client Light” services. Once that number is altered, one-time passwords can be diverted, potentially opening access to banking services, DigiLocker and other digital accounts. In that earlier advisory, citizens were told to lock Aadhaar biometrics and stay alert to suspicious messages. (amarujala.com)

Rajasthan’s official advisory archive suggests the Wi-Fi warning is part of a continuing sequence rather than a one-off alert. The Department of Information Technology and Communication lists “Public Wi-Fi Use Awareness” notices dated 15 December 2025 and 25 January 2023, a “Password Awareness Advisory” from 14 October 2025, “Multi Factor Authentication” from 17 November 2025, an “Artificial intelligence & Deepfake Awareness” entry from 16 February 2026 and a July 2026 advisory on protecting log-ins and preventing data breaches. For victims, the response route is also clearly defined: the Rajasthan Police emergency contacts page lists 1930 as the cyber crime helpline, and the force has asked residents to use it immediately in cases of financial cyber fraud while reporting hacking, tampering or unauthorised network access to the nearest police station or cyber police station. (doitc.rajasthan.gov.in)