Growth of Wi-Fi Opens New Path for Thieves

E. Harley writes "Wi-Fi connections are popping up all over the place from retails locations, schools, municipalities, and homes. Unintentionally or not, most of these wi-fi hot spots never change the system's default settings, hide the connection from others, or encrypt the data sent over it. This NY Times article [Free registration required] talks about the size and extent of the problem, and what has happened with law enforcement investigating criminals using these public connections. Also, the article updates us on an earlier Slashdot story about wardriving. That case is still pending."

Comments

Re:What's with the pathetic default settings?

[Anonymous Coward]

Fuck your free iPod.
Fuck your free Nintendo.
Fuck your Wired article.

And...Fuck you with your comment spam.

Asshat.

Re:coffee house voyeur-- Planex Wi-Fi card

[davidsyes]

Before I went to Tokyo last year, I bought a 32-bit wireless cardbus adapter, model AWLC4030, made or distributed by AirLink 101. It seems to use Aetheros or drivers related. The card is a "Total 802.11 Super G (TM) Atheros 108 Mbps" card. Mandrake 10 under various kernels did not have drivers, nor did I find any, though Mandrake knows the card exists. I tried a few sites and gave up.

From a fairly small computer store in Shinjuku, I bought a Road Lanner Wave GW-NS11H 802.11b 11Mbps wireless card. The hostel at which I state offered free access via the owner's internet connection, I think Bufffalo, but I couldn't get an IP, so I resorted to Cat-5 wire connection. Whenever the lounge got to smokey, I went to the Starbux in Roppongi (not Roppongi Hills, but a little farther north and east by foot, only 6 more minutes walking), next door to McDonalds, across from Don Quixote (no, this one didn't burn, unlike one in Urawa or Saitama and other places...) and Freshness Burger.

It appears that Starbux there indeed offers wireless access, as the floor (second is more spacious) can be seen to have some 10 or more laptop users at once, spread out. I appeared to be the only one using or boasting Linux (my oval LNX sticker is readily visible on the back of the LCD/lid).

My connection was sporadic, maybe due to weak signals or too much user saturation, but when it worked, it worked. They even let you plug into the AC, unlike the Sbux in Azabu-juban, which jams anti-use plugs into the sockets.

I am not a terribly huge fan of Sbux, but in self-contradiction, i have frequented several in Oregon and California. However, I must say that the team in Roppongi seems to be A-J on the ball. They make coffee as if it were a science. Temperature guages, level checkers, kitchen timer... the works. I can't say I recall any states-side Sbux being this quality-oriented. I know there are the snivelly little "I must have my Starbucks double-latte, with a pinch of cinnamon and a tad of vanillah" types out there, but the coffee is just coffee, particularly if your shop is rampantly inconsistent in quality.

BUt, the Roppongi location where I mentioned (there is are many, many Starbux in and around Tokyo, Roppongi, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Daimon, Yokohama, and more, and I've only drank from a few, (of course, only to pay for my electricity use a seat-occupation/displacement), but I preferred the Roppongi location. Plus, the staff are fun, funny, and cool people.

There was one little expat twit who insisted on rushing upstairs, plugging in and taking 10-20 minutes before ordering a coffee or food item. Maybe he was honest and intended to buy something, but the unspoken rule which even I feel no matter WHERE I get coffee is, "They gotta pay for electricity somehow, so BUY something more than $3.00 worth". At least twice in my sittings, this guy had to be asked politely to please buy something before coming upstairs. He got pissed off and tryed to tritefully shoo them away... "I'm busy; leave me aloe, I'll come own in a few minutes... you always bug me about this... I just want to come in, check my e-mail, and settle down first..."

He finally went downstairs, but was making a big-ass scene, denigrating the staff in his snivelly english (I couldn't tell if he came from the US, UK, Australia, or Canada, or where, even tho I spent a month among those and other accents), but the guy needed his ass whipped for bad attitude, lack of consideration, and more. He acted as if they should put up a sign, in ENGLISH, and talk to him in ENGLISH, and leave him alone when he tells them to.

I told the staff, "In the US, EVERY business that has these kind of "customers" has a large sign in the door or on the wall which says, "WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE SERVICE TO ANYONE"; you should tell your manager to make one and post it... But, I understand: we're in Japan, and confrontation with others is to be avoided, especially public rows."

Twit, everybody else followed the convention, but he thought he was