Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Neighborhood WiFi Security

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the put-out-an-electronic-welcome-mat dept.

picaro writes to tell us the New York Times has an interesting piece about the abundance of open wireless connections available due to the lack of the average user's knowledge. The article also takes a look at how the prevalent attitude is that tapping in to these connections does not equate to stealing and why still other may disagree. From the article: "Piggybacking, the usually unauthorized tapping into someone else's wireless Internet connection, is no longer the exclusive domain of pilfering computer geeks or shady hackers cruising for unguarded networks. Ordinarily upstanding people are tapping in. As they do, new sets of Internet behaviors are creeping into America's popular culture."

6 of 328 comments (clear)

  1. RTFM by xgadflyx · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Some users say they have protected their computers but have decided to keep their networks open as a passive protest of what they consider the exorbitant cost of Internet access.
    That would be the category I fall under. I think everyone should follow the sharing principle, lock your box, and open the AP. No matter what deviant may come around and use your access, you can always prove it wasn't you. Now it may be a hassle and even cost a bit of cash..., which we all know sucks, but I've been sharing my wifi for nearly 3 years now and have had no problems. Plus, I've always appreciated the neighborhood open-ness eg. when cable modem users go down and the DSL subscribers are still kicking it, just hop right over and keep on keeping on.
    "I'm sticking it to the man," said Elaine Ball, an Internet subscriber who lives in Chicago.
    "Whoa sweetheart, slow down. We're just talking about sharing internet connections, nothing more" -me, an internet subscriber who lives in Columbus First post?
    --
    Civilization, the death of dreams.
  2. Take a bike, leave a bike by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Some cities have implemented systems where you can borrow one of the public bicycles that are painted with an ugly colorscheme and use it to go where you need to go. Someone can then, in turn, borrow that bike from you after you've parked it. It's an interesting system because the bikes are just community property and everyone has the right to ride them.

  3. I have WiFi access! by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Interesting

    My neighbour bought an access point!

    Old joke, I know. But so true. And why? Because without fault, ALL APs are configured to accept any and all connections by default. And why? Because otherwise, clueless people would swarm the manufacturer's call center asking how to connect.

    When it's configured in nymphomaniac mode (i.e. do it with everyone you can get), people can connect, they're happy and won't even bother thinking about securing their 'net. At least until the feds knock at their door, asking a few dumb questions about movies and pron.

    But that's no problem either, because in our legislative, being clueless on the net is appearantly an excuse for committing any crime. You participated in a DDoS because your computer contains more malware than other programs? No worries, you didn't know, you're not to blame. Your connection was used to run an illegal server? No worries, it wasn't your fault, your computer was abused as a server.

    Usually not knowing it's a crime is no get outta jail card. When it comes to the 'net, it is. Maybe 'cause legislators and judges are predominantly clueless in respect to the net as well.

    Hey, self interest!

    But as long as it's an excuse to shrug your shoulders and claim you didn't know what you're doing, people won't get wiser.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    1. Re:I have WiFi access! by Tim+C · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Usually not knowing it's a crime is no get outta jail card.

      Usually not knowing that what you are doing is not a crime is no defence, true. Generally though, not knowing that you're not doing something is, unless the prosecution can prove negligence.

      Until and unless there's a crime of failing to take reasonable steps to secure a PC or similar, people are going to "get away" with it.

      Note that if you claim that it wasn't you, it was someone else using your connection without your knowledge, but the prosecution can demonstrate that actually it most likely was you and that you left your connection unsecured in order to provide yourself with that excuse, you'll likely not be believed.

      --
      It's official. Most of you are morons.
  4. Trajedy of the Commons by Bad+to+the+Ben · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I've often thought about openning my AP, but I just know that after a week or two some jerk is going to use my DSL connection as his own personal torrent link. If I was using someone's DSL connection I'd limit myself to just normal browsing and light email. Those morons ruin it for everyone else.

    With regard to securing access points, I've thought of a better way of setting things up properly (someone may already have thought of it). You plug your computer in to the AP for the first time via an Ethernet cable. You go into the settings, and click an option to setup the AP. The AP creates a secure WPA key using random characters. It then spits out a small script for you to download. You execute the script as Administrator or root, and it automatically configures your OS for the AP, with the right key and everything. After this you can use the AP wirelessly.

    There would be some problems though, mostly checking the OS type and having to write scripts for Windows, OS X and Linux. But I reckon it could be done.

  5. Wi-Fi Honeypots? by ROOK*CA · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I wonder when/if we're going to start seeing stories about people setting up open WAP's as honeypots? In other words, set up an open AP, for the sole purpose of comprimising hapless piggybackers that connect to it with relatively unsecured machines -- I think it would be hilarious and a nice little piece of payback for those folks that thinks it's okay to piggyback off resources that someone else if paying for (with a little publicity might make people think twice about piggybacking).

    Of course if you're too clueless (or too lazy) to take any steps to secure your wireless network then you probably shouldn't be complaining when someone else takes it upon themselves to utilize the resources that you've basically left laying around in public, I mean it's akin to putting a wad of money out on the sidewalk in front of your house and expecting it to be there next week.

    Securing your WAP isn't any great task, the OEM's producing these devices for home/small business networks have made it very easy to do, have for the most part documented it well and there are a plethora of resources on-line to supplement the OEM documentation. No excuse not to do it, unless of course you really don't care that any Tom, Dick or Harry can connect to your home LAN and basically do whatever they want with that connection, including poking around on every machine you have connected to it as well utilize your Internet connection for whatever they feel like doing with it.