Some people were shocked when we gained access to their networks. Fortunately we're the good guys.

But there are plenty of nimble fingered bad guys out, waiting for you to make a mistake.

"We're picking up about five signals and three of them are unsecured," Eric Andrako, a computer expert said.

Over the past few weeks, we drove around neighborhoods in our area picking up unsecured wifi-signals.

"We've got one right now. Looks like two people are using it," Andrako said.

NewsChannel 7 production assistant Eric Andrako is also an offensive security certified professional, who helps companies find ways to secure their computer networks.

"Basically if you don't have a secure connection, someone can actually break in and start seeing what you're doing," Andrako said.

We used Eric's knowledge of computers to help us hack into networks.

"We're about 30 to 40 yards away from this home. Just tell us what you picked up. Right now, I'm viewing some of her websites she was surfing and she's another Facebook user," Andrako said.

"How long did it take you? Five minutes to get in. A lot of the stuff is on the fly," Andrako said.

With this information in hand, we went and knocked on the front door. Amanda Miller, who owns a local retail store, was on J and M Tackle's website about to make a purchase.

"It took us about five minutes to hack into your system. Did you get my credit card or anything like that?, " Miller said. " What was she about to do? It looks like you had a couple of items in your shopping cart and you were about to type in your credit card information. Also we did pick up you had Facebook working in the background," Andrako said.

"Hearing this, what is your reaction? Well I have a business, I handle a lot of things on the internet It's very shocking. I mean I'm very surprised right now," Miller said.

Miller's network wasn't the only one we hacked into.

"We caught what you were doing on your Facebook," Andrako said.

"Once I get your I.P. Address from a remote location, instead of being right outside your door or your garage. I can be at a coffee shop basically owning you from there," Andrako said.

"Definitely try and get stronger security. Hopefully and I got to be careful," Madison Joh, a resident said.

If you want to make it difficult for anyone to hack in, you're wireless password needs to be somewhat complicated.

"If they are intent on getting your information or into your network or in your computer they are going to look at your spouse's name, pet's name, children's name, your birthday, your anniversary," Maj. Tommy Ford, of the Bay County Sheriff's Office said.

Experts say your wireless router password needs to be 10 characters consisting of a combination of letters and numbers. You should also change your password every 30 days.

Also make sure your computer virus software is up-to-date.

These tips aren't guaranteed, but they'll definitely make it a lot tougher for online criminals to crack your code.

Here are some helpful links on keeping your computer safe:

www.secureflorida.org

If you have any computer questions, you can send Eric Andrako and email at eric.andrako@wjhg.com

Eric also recommends this website to better secure your internet connections:

http://hotspotshield.com/