I recently had an online argument with someone, and about 15–20 minutes later, my WiFi suddenly cuts out. My iPhone shows 'SOS' and can't connect. I unplugged my router, waited for five minutes, and plugged it back in, but still no WiFi. I checked another device, and its cellular data works fine, but WiFi is still down. I use a VPN on my phone, but I'm not sure how effective it is against an attack. I'm wondering if this is just a coincidence or if someone might have really been that upset over our argument. What are some signs that I might have been attacked? How can I better protect my WiFi and devices?
3 Answers
First off, you should check if your WiFi is down or if it's an issue with your ISP. Sometimes the router works but there's no internet connection. If you can connect to the WiFi network but can’t access the internet, it might just be an outage. A quick call to your internet provider can clear that up.
When your iPhone shows ‘SOS,’ it means it lost cell service. Is cell service usually bad where you are? I know mine can be if I'm in the wrong spot.
I’m not home right now, so the service isn't great where I am. But my phone has never been on SOS for this long.
Some routers log DDoS attacks automatically. If you can access your router's admin page, you might check there for any signs of an attack. As for the possibility of being targeted, it is possible. There are people who rent out botnets for DDoS attacks, so if someone wanted to annoy you, they could. Unfortunately, locally there isn’t much you can do to prevent these attacks; usually, your ISP needs to help mitigate them.
That makes sense. But can someone really attack my WiFi just based on my IP? Are those even the same thing?
I can connect to the WiFi, but there's no internet. So it might just be a coincidence with an outage.