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Growth of Wi-Fi Opens New Path for Thieves

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the high-tech-breakins dept.

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."

1 of 171 comments (clear)

  1. Wifi is teh suck by blackicye · · Score: 0, Redundant

    And this is why
    Best Hacking Tools and Tutorials

    Aside from the security issues.

    Standards are still constantly being "improved" aka changing, and its stupid each vendor has their proprietary technology now.

    802.11b, 802.11g, Airboost, Wireless G, Super Wireless G, Wireless GS Speedbooster, Wireless 125Mbps. Now its just getting stupid, and you pretty much have to buy routers and repeaters, Wireless Access points and all that crap from the same manufacturer and pray that theres interoperability.

    Wireless seems all fine and dandy at first glance, oooh look no wires, oooh look it doesn't cost that much more than Cat5e systems. How cool!

    Then you realize in reality its: "Oh crap, I need an access point with that stupid wireless router, oh I still can't get it to reach the bedroom have to toss in a repeater or two.
    Oh wtf, even with high gain antennae I'm only at 60% signal strength..godammit why does this thing keep dropping its connection."

    So after spending about two to five times what you initially intended, you decide: "Ah fuck this!" *Sticks a Cat5e into wireless router*