Just found this funny (wireless connections)

[Todd Z]

My company got us new dell Latitude D510 lap tops with wireless...

On every job I have been to in the last week I was able to find a wireless net work in the neighborhood and connect to the web... I just cant believe that many people have wireless in the house and it not secured......

Better for me, because I can read the site...

Todd z

 

[STench]

It is amazing. Just be careful because you could theoretically get busted for stealing bandwidth. Then again, if the people don't even know to secure their wireless, how are they going to know how to bust you??? Nevermind....keep surfing!

 

[Jose Santana]

The new Lynsys wireless G with speedboost I believe automatically is secure. In order to connect you have to puchthe connect button and then you got 1-5 minutes to make the connection... I think!

 

[David Griffith 2]

I've had free internet for about 2 years now, Thanks neighbors!

 

[William Washington]

The easy to to prevent interlopers is to just not broadcast the ssid. That is so easy to do, and it would prevent most steeling.

 

[Fer Echegaray]

Just watch out for setups with ad-hoc connections, you might end up hacked...

Get a copy od AirDefense personal, if your IT allows it.

 

[Richard Kolb]

Mine broadcasts as open but it really isn't. What is funny is the people parking in front of my house with laptops trying to us my internet.

 

[Sal Adinolfi]

Todd,

here is a great little program.

http://www.netstumbler.com/



it even will configure your network card to work while roaming.

i love free Highspeed.

[Broken External Image]:

 

[Frank Marano]

man i dont understand how people dont secure their networks these days.....just in my apartment building there are 4 networks.......

 

[Travis Munday]

I've got two wireless networks in my house, one is secure, one isn't. The secure one is the one that my laptop connects to; the unsecure one is the one my XBOX connects to...it isn't secure because it can't be, the wireless adapter I've got for the XBOX is just a "leech", there isn't any software...it just finds the wireless signal and uses it. Am I worried that it'll be piggy-backed and used by someone else? eh...not really. Only one neighbor is close enough to even get it.

 

[George C]

It really is unbelievable, and even businesses do the same thing.



Tiger, What type of network adapter is it? Did you consider buying a wireless adapter for the xbox that can accept encryption?



Todd, if I see you parked in front of my house I'm calling the cops.



George

 

[Travis Munday]

I think it's a Linksys. At the time, I couldn't find a secure adapter. I'm sure there is one, but I'm not worried about it. If someone wants to use that network, whatever....it's slow and crappy anyhow.

 

[Richard L]

There is an FCC law that allows you to receive any radio signals that fall upon you. If you can pickup your neighbor's wireless network you are not breaking any laws. You are only violating the law if you ease-drop on their private communications or gather information about them like credit card numbers, etc. That is why all wireless telephones and cell phones come with a warning that signals may be heard by others.



It is illegal to descramble or decode any encrypted information not intended for you, whether you use the information or not.



It is also not illegal to park near a Sarbucks or within range of any wireless network and connect to their wireless service as long as you do not attempt to gain access to any of their private data or attempt to break into an encrypted network.



...Rich

 

[Kyle McManus]

When you drive around and look open connections its called WAR Driving. I do it whenever I go on vacation. In one City block in my home town I found 17 open connections. Thought that was intresting.

 

[Frank Marano]

Richard apparantly it is a crime. A man got in trouble with the law recently for using somebodies signal while sitting in front of their house in his vehicle. It was about a month ago now. It was all over the news.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Actually, fmarano you are right, I remember the case of a Florida man and I thought it was overturned, but it seems to be that he was convicted. Wardiving, the act of finding and charting unsecure wireless networks is NOT illegal, or at least not found to be illegal. However, using someone's private network without their consent is illegal, and that is what the Florida man was convicted of.



Personally, I think it should be a crime.



Read more on Wikipedia:



P.S. UPDATE with latest I have found...

 

[Chris Whitman]

Well guys I am a Network Admin for a large company and honestly I have Wireless at my place and I lock it down.... The one I run for the guys in my office... I leave wide open... If someone wants to use it I have no issues...



If everyone would open the wireless we could have access to Internet across alot of area... Put the problem would be poachers!



Cheers

Whit

 

[Richard Kolb]

Try adding MAC address filtering to your wireless network. That way your xbox can still connect and won't need any security other then the filtering to access the network.

 

[Dale Carlson]

Guys,



There's only one protection against unwanted wireless users nowadays, and it's called Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA and WPA2) encryption. Disabling SSID broadcast and MAC filtering are no longer effective deterrents to potential hackers. Neither is the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) algorithm used in older (802.11b) access points. It takes only minutes now to break WEP.



WPA and/or WPA2 are available on most newer access points, but it won't work if it's not enabled. Oh yeah, when you do enable it, use a good strong passphrase - the best is one that's 15 or more characters long and a completely random (Type some gibberish into a Notepad text file, and copy-and-paste it into the passphrase field. Save the text file on your computer for later if you need it). Otherwise your access point is vunerable to brute force attacks.



And that's how you lock down a wireless network...

 

[Richard L]

fmarano,

As TJR stated, the mans conviction was overturned. The cops may think it's a crime and perhaps even the prosecutor and the jury felt it was a crime, but it was overturned. Perhaps the prosecution or trial was flawed but after all was said an done, he walked.



The same would apply if you parked in front of or near a Starbucks coffee shop and started connecting connecting to their network. Even if they claim the wireless Internet service is provided only for their customers, they cannot control their signal outside their wals and any signal that spills out in the public area is available to anyone. Starbucks does not have a time limit on how long you can use their wireless system and there are no rules posted stating who may use their Wireless network for how long. If you ever bought a cup of Starbucks coffee, you could make the argument that you are a customer!!



If the police were to see you sitting in your car working your laptop, they could not arrest you since Starbucks would have to file a complaint...and they won't, since they don't know what you are doing, and don't care. And the police would have a difficult time charging you with anything because you are sitting in your car or at a park bench working on your computer. People do that every day. So there is no probable cause to make an arrest or even question what you are doing.



...Rich