AT&T Accidentally Provides Free Wi-Fi To All

SecureThroughObscure writes tells us about a hack broken by MacOSRumors: you can get free Wi-Fi at Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, and other AT&T hotspots if you know how to set your browser's user agent string (trivial on Safari), and know a valid iPhone phone number. ZDNet blogger Nate McFeters gives some more details and links. This can't last.

Comments

SuddenOutbreakOfMoralSense

[AKAImBatman]

Maybe it's just me, but am I the only one who's sitting here thinking that using this hack is tantamount to stealing service? Hacks for stealing cable service have existed for decades now, and were very much illegal. And why shouldn't they be? Not everything has to be hacker proof. Sometimes it's just about putting a lock on the door and saying, "This doesn't belong to you."

To use a typical Slashdot analogy, the lock on my front door is pretty flimsy and could probably be picked or forced without much effort. Is that an invitation to walk into my house and use my computer?

This also differs from open WiFi points in that open WiFi points have no security. It's difficult for a passerby to tell the difference between an intentionally shared access point and an access point that has accidentally been misconfigured.

Which reminds me, WiFi security is not all that hard to crack. Does that give people a free license to crack their neighbor's WiFi and begin using it without permission?