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Colorado Sheriffs To WarDrive For Safety
rwx writes "The Sheriff's Department in Douglas County, Colorado says it's going to start warning computer users that their networks may be vulnerable to hackers. It plans on equipping its patrol cars with devices that detect unprotected computer networks, and distributing brochures to computer users in vulnerable areas, instructing them on how to password protect their networks."
before governments try to make open wireless relays illegal? I set my wireless connection at home open on purpose...
I don't see the harm. Now if they are doing anything like making notes on who's routers are open for future "fishing expeditions", I'd be concerned, but if all they're doing is saying "hey bud, your front door is unlocked, just ta let ya know..."
Seeing as how most people have no idea that their wireless routers are so insecure by default...
Magic doesn't work in my presence. My power of disbelief is too strong.
Will this limit access on that great free wireless lan called "linksys"? I hope not; I didn't want to have to actually pay for Internet access after college.
Meh, a real sig would take too long, and I have an MMORPG to play with....
What would happen if they came to my house? I have a open network (really an access point). We share no files between computers and if someone (neighbors, friends, guys in cars out front) wants to hop on my signal I couldn't care less.
They can get online and I invite them too (network is titled "OPENNETWORK"). I wonder how the cops would respond if I told them that I purposely set it up to allow people to wardrive onto my internets?
While they're at it, they may as well check to see that people's front doors are locked too. Criminals might break in and use their computer when they can't get a wireless signal.
Cops aren't supposed to armed and trained like the military. Their purpose is to keep the peace and peacefully prevent crime where they can. A large part of that is politely informing private citizens if they see something that could get them victimized. It's not common anymore because riding around with a loaded gun and the ability to bust down doors to raid drug users/dealers (if your stash is big, you must be a dealer). It's just not cool to do such old granny policing when the SWAT offers you the chance to play urban warfare with targets that typically don't fight back.
This is very important police work. If there are open APs, people might be able to communicate freely and anonymously. We don't want any of that now, do we?
My other car is first.
Heh, the first response to a story is almost always a snarky putdown; I think it's become something of a tradition. God forbid the story is a dupe, then there's going to be snark overload.
I swear to God, if a news-item such as this would appear on the frontpage ..
.. it's a pretty safe bet that the first reply would be something like this:
One of a Kind <-- You probably won't be interested..
Cases of abuse aside (and they really do happen, perhaps not as often as is perceived, but often enough that nearly everyone has had at least one bad experience), the reason that cops get such a chilly reception is that they do "too much protecting" and "not enough serving". That is, usually people only are interacting with a cop if one, they are in trouble, or two, are recently a victim of trouble. If police departments put as much emphasis on the public service announcement schtick, people might react to them with less chill. But, as you point out, they can't perform that function well if people feel chilly towards them. Its a cycle that needs to be broken somewhere, and its easier to change department policy than to spontaneously change the public's attitudes.
Of course, it might also help if police departments changed some of the policies that feed into the disquiet that most people have with their police, such as the 'blue wall', or de facto harrassment, or discouraging legitimate complaints, or not having a system for filing said complaints anonymously. That might help too.
All the techniques ever used to make men moral have been themselves thoroughly immoral... (Nietzsche)
C'mon at least make up a better bullshit story than "It's for your own good". You guys are parking on WiFi LANs so that you can claim you're looking for
Kiddy Porn
Child molesters
Porn Molestors
Sexual predators
Kiddy porn predator molestors
And terrorists.
And you'll catch almost nobody except some innocent person as always.
Yes, how could police officers going onto your private property and testing your doors to see if they are locked possibly be a bad thing?
I actually have a local policeman that comes into my house at night and makes sure I place my wallet in a secure location before I go to sleep. He also checks all the window-blinds to make sure no terrorists or pedophiles can see into our windows. Recently, I put in a request for a uniformed officer to monitor my children while they draw pictures; I wouldn't want them to poke themselves in the eye with a crayon.
Agreed. Computers are very, very dangerous if they fall into the wrong hands. If there was some way we could pour money into a complicated beuraucratic licensing system, I'd be all for it.
You can find the statistics here
The numbers were up in all but a handful of categories.
Murder & Non-Negligent Manslaughter - 3
Negligent Manslaughter / Vehicle - 1
Sexual Assault by Force - 73
Sexual Assault on a Child - 104
Incest - 15
Robbery - 16
Kidnapping - 72
Assault with Weapon - 80
Assault without Weapon - 551
Burglary to Residence - 446
Burglary to Non-Residence - 186
Theft over $500 - 1021
Theft under $500 and over $100 - 758
Theft under $100 - 764
Embezzlement - 1
Possession of Stolen Property - 106
Motor Vehicle Theft - 245
Arson - 41
Criminal Mischief - 1240
Drug Violations- 569
Bribery, Extortion - 22
Gambling - 1
Fraud - 899
Pornography, Prostitution - 9
Weapons Violations - 35
The douglas county cops need to ge their priorities straight.
RS
Shoes for Industry. Shoes for the Dead.