While driving home last night, I realized that I had my laptop with me, with my wireless networking card… so as I was stopped I pulled the laptop out and drove slowly to see if it would pick up a wireless signal…
and it id… It came right up and even knew the name of the router…
I sat in front of someones house and started using the internet, not because I needed to or anything… I just felt like I had to try…
Has anyone else done this? or taken steps to prevent people from doing it at thier homes? I have a wireless router at home… and now I am wondering if my neighbors can freeload off me??
“Indeed, it is so easy to tap into 802.11b networks that their growth has spawned an underground sport called “war driving,” in which people cruise around town with wirelessly equipped laptops to see how many accessible Wi-Fi networks can be found.”
As is often the case, the new technology was put into place without anyone thinking about the security aspect.
The possibilities are scary. It’s not just someone surfing on your nickel – that’s not really costing you anything more. It’s when some spammer set up a SMTP server and uses your IP to send out a few million messages for which you get blamed.
Or, my solution is simple: place the WAP such that the only way to get a signal is to be in the house. The few spots of access that’s outside the house proper is deep within the property, and access to those points is difficult at best (not to mention the connection quality at those points is spotty and non-reliable). There are more easily accessable networks available: mine simply isn’t worth the trouble for casual lookers (who won’t see the network to begin with: there is no signal reaching the front/street side of the house). (And for those few that it would be worth the trouble… then that means I’ve probably got bigger problems on my hands.)
Or, depending on what WAP you’re using, turn on encryption.
You should always turn on encryption. While somebody using you connection might be low, someone could be *listening * in on your connection. While accessing web sites that require passwords, credit card numbers, etc. should be already protected, there’s a lot of other stuff that you probably just don’t want anybody and everybody to see. E.g., that chat room conversation with Donna the Dominatrix last night.
Also keep in mind that if your testing shows that you can’t connect from outside your house doesn’t mean that someone else, with a better antenna, can’t.
Those of you with WiFi setups should regularly check your manufacturer’s web sites for updates. Holes are found quite regularly and you need to keep up with the latest patches.
My 802.11b network has a 128 bit WEP key (I know that can be broken, but not easily by someone driving by) and it also filters by MAC address, thus only allows machines that I know on the network.
Neither of those are perfect, and if a hardcore hacker wanted on my network I’m sure they’d be able to get in. However, I don’t see this as being a big enough risk to offset the convenience of being able to telecommute in my bare feet sitting on the grass in the backyard.
I saw a show about Hackers on the Discovery channel. They rode along with a guy whose job it is to go around Washington DC and find those open networks and shut them down immediately. He had a couple of tools - some special box he made to alert him when he was getting a signal and a laptop. I don’t think he worked for the government, he was a private consultant that the gov’t hired. He found at least 2 or 3 open networks on the ride - all from government offices!
In some cases, using an unsecure wireless network is clearly legal – in fact, several groups including some here in NYC are setting up WiFi networks in parks and such precisely to encourage people traffic.
In other cases, it’s not legal – for example, some poor schmoe who’s set up a wireless network in his house for his own use but whose user agreement with his ISP specifies that he won’t be used as a server.
Let’s do this. Let’s try to keep technical details mostly out of this for the time being whilst I think about it and do some more research.
Double ugh. I ask that no one post “technical details” and five seconds later, PunditLisa asks
which is a darn fine question which requires a technical answer. And I’m not just saying that because she has a 52’ TV.
So. Let me amend. Let’s keep away from technical details which a) would help someone compromise an encrypted network or which b) are specifically meant to allow someone to use a network illegally (as in the WiFi but not-server example).
You mean that if someone I don’t like has wireless internet, I can go park in front of his house around midnight, hit every kiddie porn site in the world on my laptop, and he’ll get the Pete Townsend treatment??
Wang, there wouldn’t be any evidence of kiddie porn on his computer in the form of images or cache files, just traffic on those sites from his IP. Since IPs can be spoofed, I don’t think you can be busted without having the porn on your hard drive.
And actually, PunditLisa’s question can be answered nice and generically. Ask your hubby what he did when he set things up (or if you were watching and remember how he did it): did he just plug everything in? If so, then no, your connection probably isn’t encrypted.
If you want, to prevent anyone from accidentally stepping over any lines here, feel free to drop me an e-mail if you need more details. (I believe I have it active, just make sure you put ‘SDMB’ or something in the title else my spam-filter will toss it right in the garbage.)
