Windows 7 Can Create Rogue Wi-Fi Access Point

Posted by timothy on Friday February 19, 2010 @11:35AM from the feature-not-bug dept.

alphadogg writes "Windows 7 contains a 'SoftAP' feature, also called 'virtual Wi-Fi,' that allows a PC to function simultaneously as a Wi-Fi client and as an access point to which other Wi-Fi-capable devices can connect. The capability is handy when users want to share music and play interactive games. But it also can allow on-site visitors and parking-lot hackers to piggyback onto the user's laptop and 'ghost ride' into a corporate network unnoticed." While this means a bit more policing for networks meant to be locked down, it sounds like a good thing overall. Linux users, meanwhile, have had kernel support (since 2.6.26) for 802.11s mesh networking, as well as Host AP support for certain chipsets.

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Re:Hard shell, gooey centre security obsolete by jhaar · 2010-02-19 13:27 · Score: 3, Interesting

Actually, can someone explain to me what the real difference is between "master mode" and AdHoc or mesh networks?
Why is it that only a few chipsets can "do" proper full-blown "master mode" (ie be an Access Point), and yet other chipsets can be used as AdHoc or mesh? I mean - what's the fundamental difference? I've been through this with Linux systems and can't understand why I can't just grab any WLAN card, bring up the interface and whack a DHCP server on it - why doesn't that work for them all?
Just wonderin...
J