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Locate Any WiFi Router By Its MAC Address

Posted by kdawson on from the reverse-lookup dept.

coderrr writes "SkyHook Wireless has been wardriving the US for years creating a huge database mapping wireless routers' MAC addresses to their physical locations. They provide an minimally documented API (docs here) which allows anyone to query the database directly for any MAC address. This could potentially allow some malicious individual to find out exactly where you live. Of course for them to get the MAC of your router in most cases will require either being infected with malware or some sort of social engineering attack... Imagine if you got a phishing email that included your home address."

8 of 204 comments (clear)

  1. Security by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is exactly why it's a *good* idea to steal internet access from the neighbors.

    1. Re:Security by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Has anyone told them about the recent troubles in San Francisco?

      I smell a contract!

    2. Re:Security by You+ain't+seen+me! · · Score: 2, Funny

      You realize that you're giving all your data and control over to a machine that you don't control.

      Isn't that what you already do with your own ISP? How do you know that some bored guy there isn't already eavesdropping on your data? Or even someone at your ISP's upstream provider?

      They'd have to have a very small dick or be on name terms with some widowed millionaire princess in Nigeria if they're interested in reading most of the mail that I get.

  2. Quick! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Someone tell San Francisco!

  3. Screw you guys, I liked the movie. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Of course for them to get the MAC of your router in most cases will require either being infected with malware or some sort of social engineering attack.

    NORM : Security, uh Norm, Norm speaking.

    DADE: Norman? This is Mr. Eddie Vedder, from Accounting. I just had a power surge here at home that wiped out a file I was working on.Listen, I'm in big trouble, do you know anything about computers?

    NORM: Uhhmmm... uh gee, uh...

    DADE: Right, well my BLT drive on my computer just went AWOL, and I've got this big project due tomorrow for Mr. Kawasaki, and if I don't get it in, he's gonna ask me to commit Hari Kari...

    NORM: Uhhh.. ahahaha...

    DADE: Yeah, well, you know these Japanese management techniques.... Could you, uh, read me the number on the modem?

    NORM: Uhhhmm...

    DADE: It's a little boxy thing, Norm, with switches on it... lets my computer talk to the one there...

    NORM: 212-555-4240.

  4. Re:Wrong by mapkinase · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hmm... Sounds like someone is marking the place of the fish catch by putting a mark on a side of his boat.

    --
    I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
  5. Guns by grnrckt94 · · Score: 2, Funny

    This was exactly what I had in mind when I bought my 12 gauge.

  6. Re:Perfect for scaring people by Bright+Apollo · · Score: 2, Funny

    To which I'd reply, on their comments page: "I live in Paterson, NJ. Come and get me, motherfucker."

    --#