Brian Choi, Author
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'The Security of this Network has Been Compromised' Message and How to Fix It
The security of this network has been compromised…
…is not a message you want to receive and can immediately cause anxiety.
Put your rising panic to one side because we’re here to help. We’ve seen this message hundreds of times either directly or via others and we’re confident we’ll know what’s causing the issue and at the very least, how to stop the issue at its source.
There’s typically two different scenarios in which you’re receiving this message – on your Android phone or your laptop/desktop computer – we’ll break both down in detail and help you resolve the “security of this network has been compromised” message.
Security of network has been compromised on Android
On an Android phone, people often mistakenly think it’s a message from your carrier (like AT&T or Verizon), but this isn’t the case.
It is actually related to a number of security apps which make an independent decision on whether the wifi connection that you’re connected to has been compromised. When in reality it probably hasn’t.
Typically your notifications will look something like this:
The most common apps that have been known to cause the “security of this network has been compromised” notification on Android are:
1. Verizon Security and Privacy app
2. Avast Security app
Some real life cases can easily be found online:
In fact, in the Verizon customer support forums, hundreds of people have reported this exact same issue.
How To Fix It
The good news is that in the case of the Verizon Security and Privacy app, it has been completely upgraded and rebranded to an app called Digital Secure in a bid to fix these (amongst many) issues and shed the poor reputation that it’s predecessor had picked up.
What should I do if I still have the Verizon Security and Privacy app installed?
Go into the Google Play Store and locate the Updates section. There will be a notification to tell you that the Verizon Security and Privacy app needs to be updated.
Update the app and you should be good to go.
This update will remove the old app icon and replace it with the new, rebranded, Digital Secure app.
What should I do if I still see the 'Network Compromised' message?
There’s a chance that your network security is genuinely compromised. We’ll cover the steps on what to do in the next section which covers not just Android phones, but also desktop and laptop computers.
Security of network has been compromised on Desktop, Laptop or Macbook
You normally see this message when connected to an erroneous wifi network.
It’s not always the case that the network has been compromised, it might just be the case that your network provider has seen fit to give you a heads up via a notification.
Typically this occurs when connected to an open public wifi network where many people have access to join (and potentially manipulate) the network.
Therefore if this is you, then my advice would be to disconnect from the network immediately and find another connection for the time being. One option if on a laptop is to hotspot from your mobile device which will allow you to browse online using your phone’s data plan.
If you’re on a home or private wifi network then this is a little more tricky to get to the bottom of however we’ve detailed a recommended course of action in the steps below:
- First, disconnect and then reconnect to the network. If the problem persists, continue to step 2.
- Try to reset the router. There will be reset button (usually on the back) which you can press, hold for a few seconds and wait for it to restart. Allow your device to connect again and check whether you still receive the notification. If yes, continue to step 3.
- If this is your own (home) private wifi network then you should contact your provider’s customer support and explain the problem in detail and the steps you’ve taken so far to try to solve it.
- Install a firewall to protect your computer and run a scan immediately after installing it to check whether there’s any current threat. This step allows for the fact that if the network is compromised, then your machine should be protected from anything or anyone that is attempting break in.
(As a side note, it’s always a good idea to have a firewall installed to protect for these types of eventualities) - Install a VPN. A VPN will protect you while browsing by masking your original location and encrypts your internet activity giving you an additional layer of security online. The main benefit of a VPN in this case is that if someone gains access to your information (or data) then they won’t be able to open it as it’s encrypted.
Again, we recommend always having a trusted VPN installed on both laptop and mobile devices, particularly to protect you while browsing online from either public or private wifi.
And that concludes our guide on how to fix the ‘security of this network has been compromised’ notification message on both Android (mobile) and desktop.
I hope you’ve been able to solve the issue and move swiftly on in the hope you never have to see it again.