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WiFi Triangulation

Posted by michael on from the two-edged-sword dept.

mikegroovy writes "WiFi software tracks you down: 'Positioning technology company Ekahau has released an updated version of its software, which allows devices to be physically tracked when they are connected to an 802.11 WLAN network.' Maybe connections that are made from the street(or outside of a predefined area) could be automatically disconnected... It may spell an end to warchalking."

11 of 229 comments (clear)

  1. Good God, are you Clueless? by Henry+V+.009 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Hint: War-chalking happens because people are clueless about their networks. The problem is networks that let everyone on board by default without any encryption.

    1. Re:Good God, are you Clueless? by sys$manager · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It took me all of 30 seconds to enable 128 bit WEP and create a key on my new Linksys 802.11b router. Honestly, how hard is that for people to do?

    2. Re:Good God, are you Clueless? by cyberformer · · Score: 3, Insightful
      It takes me all of 30 seconds to program my VCR, but most non-techies can't do it.


      Anyway, 128-bit WEP (actually just 104 bits) isn't safe. The crack just takes twice as long.

    3. Re:Good God, are you Clueless? by Gruturo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It took me all of 30 seconds to enable 128 bit WEP and create a key on my new Linksys 802.11b router. Honestly, how hard is that for people to do?

      It will take AirSnort all of 30 minutes to crack your 128Bit WEP encryption since it is so badly flawed that I'd rather go _without_ it.

      Really, _don't_ trust WEP. Search Google or Ask Slashdot about cracking it, have a look at what You'll find.

      The only reachable IP on my 802.11 net is the IPSEC gateway.

      --

      Vacuum cleaners suck. Kings rule.
    4. Re:Good God, are you Clueless? by LarsG · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Anyway, 128-bit WEP (actually just 104 bits) isn't safe.

      We all know that. But an AP with WEP enabled is the digital equivalent of a "no trespass" sign, while an AP with no security at all is either set up by a clueless newbie or is deliberately left open to allow other people to get Internet access (which I'll do once I go wireless in my apartment).

      In order to promote public accesspoints, I'd prefer that the law doesn't consider it trespass to use an unsecured AP for Internet access.

      --
      If J.K.R wrote Windows: Puteulanus fenestra mortalis!
    5. Re:Good God, are you Clueless? by Idarubicin · · Score: 4, Insightful
      It takes me all of 30 seconds to program my VCR, but most non-techies can't do it.

      This may an important consideration for home wireless networks, but no excuse for corporate networks. Any business that has a "non-techie" building their network is inviting a whole lot of trouble--most of which probably won't be coming to them through their wireless AP.

      --
      ~Idarubicin
    6. Re:Good God, are you Clueless? by RollingThunder · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You underestimate the people in marketing, sales, etc who have no techie traning, but are quite happy to go and buy a WAP, and plug that in at their office, so they can one-up their co-workers.

      That practice is one reason that even clued network admins need to regularly recheck their networks for AP's. Rogue ones will forever be a pain in the ass.

  2. end to warchalking? by cosyne · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Not likely. The systems that get picked up by war____ers are generally the ones that someone took out of the box and plugged into the wall. Anyone who bothers to set up a triangulation system would probably already be using MAC restriction or other security measures. (Technically, you can still see a secured network and mark its location, but you could do that with a triangulation-restricted network too).

  3. Silly, silly controls... by coupland · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Since a huge proportion of us who have publicly-accessible Wi-Fi networks do so by choice you have to wonder what the value of tracking users is. If people use my hub I'm okay with it as long as they're not abusing it, more power (or bandwidth) to them. I don't need to track people using my hub, if I didn't want them I would spend a few minutes reading about security and prevent people from using my hub. The only people who would need to track users would be corporations but their security departments are so damn paranoid they're barely ready to admit Ethernet may be secure, let alone cool shit like Wi-Fi.

  4. Re:Where will it end? by Anonymous+DWord · · Score: 4, Insightful

    the current guesstimate is that sales will drop about 20% due to online copyright infringement.

    Anybody who comes up with any kind of estimate is an idiot, and is obviously being "funded" by some interested party. CD sales went up when Napster was in its prime. What does that mean? Nothing. Maybe the fact that we're in a major recession and people don't have as much money to blow on stuff, or that the crap they're pushing for sale... naah, that couldn't be it. It must be those Music Pirates! Arrr!

    --
    "If he thinks he can hide and run from the United States and our allies, he's sorely mistaken." Bush on bin Laden
  5. Don't forget the "Tri" in "Triangulate"! by SlimFastForYou · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Not the best option if you want security... Triangulation requires 3 WAPs in distinctly different spots. Most home users don't have a WAP in their kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. It may be argued that universities have WAPs all over the campus. That may be so, but is a wardriver usually in the range of 3? I am no expert on campus WAP placement, but the only places I immagine could be triangulated would be roughly the center of the campus. So while multiple gradebooks are being accessed by a host with an unknown MAC address, the triangulation software will say "Not enough base stations to determine location".