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Feds Hack Wireless Network in 3 Minutes

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the still-can't-balance-budget dept.

xs3 writes At a recent ISSA (Information Systems Security Association) meeting in Los Angeles, a team of FBI agents demonstrated current WEP-cracking techniques and broke a 128 bit WEP key in about three minutes. Special Agent Geoff Bickers ran the Powerpoint presentation and explained the attack, while the other agents (who did not want to be named or photographed) did the dirty work of sniffing wireless traffic and breaking the WEP keys. This article will be a general overview of the procedures used by the FBI team.."

43 of 501 comments (clear)

  1. First DEAD BEEF by jargoone · · Score: 5, Funny

    Note to self: change WEP key to something other than "DEADBEEFDEADBEEFDEADBEEFDE".

    1. Re:First DEAD BEEF by Tackhead · · Score: 5, Funny
      > Note to self: change WEP key to something other than "DEADBEEFDEADBEEFDEADBEEFDE".

      Note to poster: DEADFEDDEADFEADDEADFED is also a poor choice.

    2. Re:First DEAD BEEF by jargoone · · Score: 5, Funny

      Note to poster: DEADFEDDEADFEADDEADFED is also a poor choice.

      Indeed it is. It's several characters too short.

    3. Re:First DEAD BEEF by British · · Score: 2, Funny

      Alternate Wep key(er, something like this): BA DB 0B 13 37 (bad bob leet)

    4. Re:First DEAD BEEF by cp.tar · · Score: 2, Funny
      Note to poster: DEADFEDDEADFEADDEADFED is also a poor choice.

      You don't want typos in your WEP key now, do you?

      --
      Ignore this signature. By order.
    5. Re:First DEAD BEEF by mrgreenfur · · Score: 3, Funny

      Whats the deal with dead beef?

      At the school I go to the wireless gateway for campus's MAC is DEADDEADBEEF.
      Is this just a popular phrase to spell with hex?

  2. Those Crazy Feds by clarus · · Score: 2, Funny

    Was the password public?

    I bet it was public:public

    Silly FBI

    1. Re:Those Crazy Feds by Cumstien · · Score: 2, Funny

      No linksys like the ID.

    2. Re:Those Crazy Feds by lucabrasi999 · · Score: 5, Funny
      I bet it was public:public

      Actually, the Password was 1-2-3-4-5.

      I found that to be rather disturbing, since I have the same combination on my luggage.

  3. takes me longer than 3 minutes by amichalo · · Score: 5, Funny

    Damn those feds are good.

    It takes me longer than 3 minutes just to type the WEP key from my router into my client!

    --
    I only came here to do two things; kick some ass, and drink some beer...looks like we're almost out of beer.
  4. No worries. by unstable23 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I live in the middle of nowhere. I think I may notice two men sitting with a laptop in an ominous black car with government plates, as the only place they could be close enough is my driveway.

    Still, it may be time to look at running an IPSEC tunnel over the wireless network.

    1. Re:No worries. by B3ryllium · · Score: 5, Funny

      But what if they have special FBI antennas? Made from FBI pringles cans?

    2. Re:No worries. by _Sprocket_ · · Score: 5, Funny

      ....black, ominous pringles cans?

    3. Re:No worries. by AvantLegion · · Score: 2, Funny
      >> ....black, ominous pringles cans?

      I don't know about that, but I have a four year old Pringles can in my pantry. One glance through the clear lid reveals the chips are looking black and ominous themselves...

    4. Re:No worries. by sharkey · · Score: 2, Funny

      Agent Starling: "He said he could smell my Pringles"

      --

      --
      "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
    5. Re:No worries. by marnerd · · Score: 3, Funny

      Particularly because you live in Wisconsin!

      --
      Not so much a sig as a lack of one.
  5. Comment by pete-classic · · Score: 5, Funny

    None of the agents could be reached for comment, as they were all busy arresting eachother citing the Patriot Act and the DMCA.

    -Peter

  6. Wifi: Feds best friend on a stakeout by 9mm+Censor · · Score: 4, Funny

    So now when the feds are parked out in front of your house waiting for you to leave your apartment, they can leech off your neighbours wifi...

  7. other way around by 404forbidden · · Score: 2, Funny

    i read to fast, at first i read "fed wireless network hacked in 3 minutes" ... "old news" i thought..

  8. Re:Not too surprising by Cruithne · · Score: 5, Funny

    What is surprising is that such a l33t cr3w used powerpoint for their presentation :/

  9. Just Leave It Open by duffer_01 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Glad I didn't go through the effort of locking mine down. Who has the last laugh now, Mr. "You gotta lock that thing down"?

    --
    Adventure City Tours
  10. Pffft Cracking? The Feds have backdoors! by Phoenixhunter · · Score: 5, Funny

    Nah, they have the manufacturers build in a backdoor! Didn't you watch 24 last night? All they needed was the manufacturer ID and they got root access!

  11. I personally prefer by arglesnaf · · Score: 4, Funny

    DECAFC0FFEEBADBADBADBADBAD

    1. Re:I personally prefer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      15EEDEADD00D5BAADDEADD00D5

  12. Most likely /.'er response by Cereal+Box · · Score: 2, Funny

    How dare they! The feds have no right to break into someone's wireless network, no matter how simple the password! I want to see the FBI taken down for this! <continues ranting about "the feds">...

    I'm sure we'll hear many comments along those lines from Slashdotters who are no doubt using a wireless connection that they've broken into...

  13. Re:Not too surprising by AppyPappy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Bull. They just walked around looking under keyboards.

    --

    If you aren't part of the solution, there is good money to be made prolonging the problem

  14. Re:WEP = weak by BJZQ8 · · Score: 2, Funny

    How will Windows Product Activation help us?

  15. Re:Countermeasures & Conclusion by Momoru · · Score: 2, Funny

    6) Tinfoil. And LOTS of it.

  16. Re:WPA is just as 'weak' against Brute Force by Speare · · Score: 3, Funny

    Just simply combine words from different languages. "Gandalf said 'mellon,' and the doors to Khazad-dum opened wide."

    --
    [ .sig file not found ]
  17. My WEP key by claussenvenable · · Score: 3, Funny

    is one of the 600,426,974,379,824,381,952 ways to spell \/14grA

    dictionary-attack that, G-man!

  18. Two of them are cryptography masters ... by GNUALMAFUERTE · · Score: 5, Funny

    The other is the PowerPoint guru :-P

    --
    WTF am I doing replying to an AC at 5 A.M on a Friday night?
  19. Re:Encryption is now useless by displague · · Score: 4, Funny

    640 bits of encryption ought to be enough for anybody.

    --
    Marques Johansson
  20. Obligatory Simpsons Reference by phaetonic · · Score: 2, Funny

    *Homer looks outside and sees a van*

    Flowers
    By
    Irene

  21. Re:WPA is just as 'weak' against Brute Force by hey! · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm not so sure. Wireless security has been historically so bad, every bit of key randomness we can get is probably worth it.

    It's like the old joke about the two hikers who encounter an enraged, ravenous bear. The first hiker quickly strips off his hiking boots and starts pulling on his running shoes.

    "You fool, an adult bear can run 30 miles per hour," the other hiker says, "you can't possibly outrun it."

    "I don't have to outrun the bear," the first replies, "I just have to outrun you."

    --
    Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  22. What a surprise by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I was surprised to find that the FBI Computer Scientist mentioned in the article presenting this was... a Smith.

    Hmmm...

  23. They've gone to plaid! by TheDukePatio · · Score: 1, Funny

    Note to self: Change President Scroob's WEP key to something other than 1234567891011121314151617181920.

    --
    To Alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems.
  24. Re:WPA is just as 'weak' against Brute Force by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    you should read your sig

  25. Re:WEP is only useful for by feloneous+cat · · Score: 2, Funny

    You must provide SOME incentive for people to be polite

    I use $100 bills and exotic vacation packages as an incentive. It is freaking amazing how polite people are when you do that...

    --
    IANAL, but I've seen actors play them on TV
  26. Re:Not too surprising by normal_guy · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm suprised you're not using shielded VGA cables to prevent direct snooping of your screen, Steven.

    --

    Linux: Free if your time is worthless.
  27. In related news... by naoursla · · Score: 2, Funny

    A locksmith was able to pick a locked front door in a residential neiborhood in just under 3 minutes.

    However, the FBI has superior entry method that involves breaking the door down in just under 8 seconds.

  28. In other words ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... You have a tinfoil house!

  29. Re:Not too surprising by PalmMP3 · · Score: 0, Funny
    Wow, you didn't read the article did you?

    You must be new here...

    --
    Laughter is the best medicine, but in certain situations the Heimlich maneuver may be more appropriate.
  30. $0.01 random number generator. by istartedi · · Score: 2, Funny

    Flip a penny 128 times. Does the same thing, and nobody will think you're a D&D player.

    --
    For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?