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Worldwide WarDrive Aftermath
wardriver writes "The event took place on August 31st 2002, people from around the world took part in the effort to document and make known wireless access points as a group. Some people go WarDriving everyday, so this was just like an normal day for many who attended any of the world wide events as documented on the results page. Hardware ranged from laptops, to car mounted computer systems, to handhelds all equipped with GPS devices to accurately map the spots. Cars were marked with )(WarDriver stickers and people were sporting their wardriving is not a crime t-shirts. All in all the event went well and with enough pressure and requests to chris it may happen again." And in a related story, Dr_Marvin_Monroe writes "Wardrivers be warned---- A Practical Approach to
Identifying and Tracking
Unauthorized 802.11 Cards
and Access Points includes information on locating rogue access points and intruders."
World Series (2 teams from Canada, rest from States).
WarDriving... Cities from only the western part of North America...
Don't call it "World" if its just North America, and especially don't if its just a region of North America.
Tournament Management Online &
"wardriving is not a crime t-shirts...
You got to admit that people aren't doing themselves any favours by choosing a real positive expression like "wardriving"....
I can see this must win real friends when you are explaining to companies what you are doing outside their offices. Especially in countries where vigilante groups /gangsters like cruising round in their autos. Great PR, guys :-)
(Yeah yeah I know the origin of the term but I still think it sucks.. maybe try cruising round New York on 11th September and explain to a cop that you're war driving...)
I understand that some people invite others onto their network. This is very generous (but in my opinion insane because YOU are responsible for what comes out of YOUR router), but shouldn't these people advertise that their network is open instead of people driving around trying to discover these access points? I think the concept of wardriving is interesting, but the practical ethical results of wardriving efforts seem very very few. Maybe there is some application I am missing. Feel free to enlighten me
psxndc
The emacs religion: to be saved, control excess.
Unless you think of THEFT OF SERVICE!
Sometimes I have to wonder about the real-world intelligence of these people. Sure, they probably are really bright when it comes to technology, but evolution should have taken care of the guys wearing these t-shirts long ago.
It would seem to me that if someone wanted you on their system they would register on one of the various websites for free wireless access.
If they didn't want you then you're becoming a bother. I guess you could tell them that they were open and be helpful. I don't see anything of that angle though.
So its just "Lets see who screwed up their technology. Tee Hee." Nothing useful here.
Port scanning also is not a crime(for now at least) but a lot of crimes are started with it. I don't blame people for getting a little paranoid.
It's like a guy swinging a baseball bat all over the place. Sure it's not illegal but he could start clobbering people whether on purpose or not. I'd probably tell him to stop swinging too.
My brother-in-law lives in California and has had all kinds of trouble since this event. Conicidence?? You start stealing service and disrupting other people's service and you just crossed the line.
The people that are just scanning and mapping could be considered accesories to the crime when other people use their info to "steal bandwidth".
Legal or not, there is certainly an ethical question here... not so with skateboarding. Don't sniff around other folks' networks, regardless of your intentions. No good will come of it.
My sig sucks.
Ok, Slashdotters. Time to fess up and be honest Wardriving, though harmless in and of itself, is shady business. It's the electronic equivalent of casing a store or residence in order to rob it later. I realize the vast majority of wardrivers do nothing with the info they find, and right now it's more of a fad than anything (especially for kids that fantasize about being Mad Haxorz with Big Skillz, or whatever they hell they're calling it this week), but deep down, face it. You KNOW you're up to no good. The very essence of Wardriving is LOOKING FOR VULNERABILITIES. Only two kinds of people really give a damn about this kind of information. Serious security researchers, and net scum looking to break into networks. Now, like everyone else, I'm getting damn tired of seeing my liberties slip away in new laws and regulations. But if there was half an ounce of honesty here, we'd all admit to each other that by doing stupid shit like Wardriving, we're begging the government and public to be alarmed and put further restrictions on what we do. So to you people that deface webpages, spread virii, and wardrive looking networks to break into, why don't you do us a favor and go fuck yourselves. You are why the word "hacker" evokes fear and loathing.
Life is hard, and the world is cruel
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
hillct wrote:
> It boggles the mind that so many administrators
> unintentionally leave their wireless networks open
> and available
It doesn't boggle anything when you get off you geeky high horse and realize that most people buying and installing wireless network equipment are not "administrators" of any sort. They are ordinary people who don't know a thing about network security, but just need a net to work. The only thing that boggles the mind is that you would rationalize preying upon their ignorance.
The manufacturers hold one key to solving this. If they would make the configuration of these networks secure by default, and give people easy to understand instructions for enabling security: "Yes, I want to make my network safe from invading hordes of young hoodlums.", it would help.
"Godzilla and Jaguar: Punch! Punch! Punch! Hit! Hit! Hit!
We die if they stop fighting for us."
Jet Jaguar Song, "Godzilla vs. Megalon"
g0bshiTe wrote:
> Last I heard it was not a crime to putt around
> anyones neighborhood, whether you lived there or
> not. So what, if you just happen to have a laptop
> and a wireless network device. I haven`t heard of
> anyone bieng arrested for posessing network gear.
> Unless it was stolen! Is a cop really gonna bust
> you for wardriving? I think not.
If you "putt around" the neighborhood of a single woman, living alone, especially at night, she will most likely be giving her local police department a call about a "suspicious vehicle" which appears to be canvasing the neighborhood. And when you explain to Mr. Policeman that you are "scanning for access points", you are going to be seeing some bars from the inside very shortly.
And if Mr. Policeman sees your WarDriving Tshirt, no doubt he will think you are part of a gang.
> It`ll be the old skateboarding thing, where your
> told that even though it is public property, and
> you technically can be there that what your
> doing is potentially damaging and/or disruptive.
> Who cares!
My guess is the rest of the general public who don't want to be damaged or disrupted. Well, except for the bigger skateboarding dude that runs into you and puts you in the hospital. Chances are, he won't care.
To be a responsible member of a civilized society, you have to think (and care) about the impact of your actions on others.
"What do you think Mothra would do?" - Moll, "Mosura" 1996