The Ethics of Snooping

[skunk]

Say, for the sake of argument, that I'm sitting at my Mac and I click on the Network icon and find a "JohnNorris" on my network. Say too that I am curious. Let's further hypothesise that I click on Connect, it asks for a password, and, just for the hell of it, I type in "norris". Hey, it worked! I appear to have full access to someone's Windows machine: it's asking me whether I want to connect to his C drive or "Billenden". In the C drive are all his iTunes mp3s, many, many photographs of children, and a slightly suspect video or two. I could just drag all this stuff off his drive, I suppose. But instead, I placed an rtf document on his drive saying "Hi, John Norris. You are on my network." What might anyone here do in this situation?

 

[nitynate]

Leave him notes on his desktop.


I would then, inform him to keep his files more secure.

And teach him how to do so.

 

[bartelby]

Every now and again I come across "Pam Home" under my Airport menu.
I've been tempted to have a look.

 

[EGT]

You evil, evil person.

Does he have any good music? I'd lift some of the good stuff if I were you!

Leave another note saying, "Buy a Mac you fool, then this will never happen again."

 

[adk]

just leave a note saying he may want a better password than "norris"

 

[BoyBach]

You evil, evil person.

Does he have any good music? I'd lift some of the good stuff if I were you!

Leave another note saying, "Buy a Mac you fool, then this will never happen again."

Sound advice! Nick any good music and then inform him of his lax security

 

[skunk]

Strangely enough, he has now disappeared from my network.

 

[XNine]

Nah, those that freeload are free targets. I caught a guy using is wireless router to connect to my network while I was doing some tests and such (and I ahd taken the WPA off). Well, I noticed he was going to a lot of file sharing sites and what not through my routers log. Well, the moron used the default password for his router. So, being the nice guy I am, I decided that laoding bad firmware onto teh unit was a little harsh, so I just put MAC addresses on, made a new Admin password for the router, and he was completely locked out of not only my network, but his router as well.

OF course a quick press of the reset button would disable all of it, but he had to know that I screwed him... lol

 

[LethalWolfe]

Totally fair game, IMO. They accessed your network first.


Lethal

 

[Cube54]

....What might anyone here do in this situation?

What would I do... If he has a wife

1) Find out what printer he has. Most likely a colour inkjet

2) 'Share the printer' so you can print to it.

3) Hit an ->adult<- porno web-site and print some nice 'glossy photos' for his wife to find.

 

[bearbo]

What would I do... If he has a wife

1) Find out what printer he has. Most likely a colour inkjet

2) 'Share the printer' so you can print to it.

3) Hit an ->adult<- porno web-site and print some nice 'glossy photos' for his wife to find.

don't you have to have full access of the computer to share the printer? that is, file sharing won't cut?
or is there something i dont konw here

 

[Cube54]

don't you have to have full access of the computer to share the printer? that is, file sharing won't cut?
or is there something i dont konw here

True!

But if the person was dumb enough to use his last name for file share mode it is most likely that is his 'admin' password too. People like him don't want to get confused by having 2 passwords to remember on the same computer.

 

[bearbo]

True!

But if the person was dumb enough to use his last name for file share mode it is most likely that is his 'admin' password too. People like him don't want to get confused by having 2 passwords to remember on the same computer.

but don't you still need physical access of this machine... unless you meant, remote desktop... but even that you have to make sure it's enabled... (sorry, i'm just having fun asking these)

 

[Cube54]

Why do I think bearbo is stringing me along

Under Windows sharing all devices are, well actually files, printers included. Just click the right shared directory and presto the printer list. Then pick your fav. if there is more than one. What the heck-just share them all. Depending on the rights granted by the original password the windows box may not ask you for a password. Even if it does just use the same password. Odds are it will work.

For those who think this is funny. Wait until *you* incorrrectly install 'Samba' on your Mac or Linux box using 'root' as the owner.

 

[emw]

Since he was leaching your network, I think you were quite restrained in dealing with the situation. I might have pulled some of the choice mp3 files off just for fun, and perhaps added a few of my own, but in the end, what you did was probably the best.

Of course, I would also be curious as to how he got onto your network in the first place.

 

[annk]

Someone stealing your bandwidth deserves whatever you choose to cook up.

 

[jsw]

Someone stealing your bandwidth deserves whatever you choose to cook up.

Unless, of course, your network is named "linksys" or some other common name and isn't secure, and they are on it by accident.

 

[bearbo]

Why do I think bearbo is stringing me along

Under Windows sharing all devices are, well actually files, printers included. Just click the right shared directory and presto the printer list. Then pick your fav. if there is more than one. What the heck-just share them all. Depending on the rights granted by the original password the windows box may not ask you for a password. Even if it does just use the same password. Odds are it will work.

For those who think this is funny. Wait until *you* incorrrectly install 'Samba' on your Mac or Linux box using 'root' as the owner.

haha, perhaps i am

(no, i really dot know..) can you be a little more elaborative about it, i mean, how exactly is suppose to be done, maybe i can even solve my own problem with my printer won't share...

 

[annk]

Unless, of course, your network is named "linksys" or some other common name and isn't secure, and they are on it by accident.

Do you mean that if your own network is called linksys, and your neighbor's happens to be called linksys, and you choose it by mistake? But don't computers generally have a default to choose their "own" network?

If it's really that easy to get onto someone else's network, I see your point, but it seems you have to go out of your way to do it.

 

[jsw]

Do you mean that if your own network is called linksys, and your neighbor's happens to be called linksys, and you choose it by mistake? But don't computers generally have a default to choose their "own" network?

If it's really that easy to get onto someone else's network, I see your point, but it seems you have to go out of your way to do it.

I mention that only because my neighbor uses an unsecured Linksys router named "linksys" and, if I had done the same and were in an area where his network strength was greater than mine (possible in places in the house) and had my Mac set up with default settings, I do believe it'd pick his network and I'd never know the difference.

 

[emw]

I mention that only because my neighbor uses an unsecured Linksys router named "linksys" and, if I had done the same and were in an area where his network strength was greater than mine (possible in places in the house) and had my Mac set up with default settings, I do believe it'd pick his network and I'd never know the difference.

Hypothetically, of course.

 

[annk]

I mention that only because my neighbor uses an unsecured Linksys router named "linksys" and, if I had done the same and were in an area where his network strength was greater than mine (possible in places in the house) and had my Mac set up with default settings, I do believe it'd pick his network and I'd never know the difference.

I see what you mean. My settings ask me if I want to log onto another network than my own, but only if my own is not available, and that might be something I configured it to do at some point.

And if the neighbor is on a Windoze box, the thing probably just grabs at whatever it can.

 

[Cube54]

haha, perhaps i am

(no, i really dot know..) can you be a little more elaborative about it, i mean, how exactly is suppose to be done, maybe i can even solve my own problem with my printer won't share...

Go to google.com
Enter Windows print sharing
Read the answers!!!!!!!

I spent a lot of years keeping people out of *nix. Be darned if I will post more .

 

[adroit]

Do you mean that if your own network is called linksys, and your neighbor's happens to be called linksys, and you choose it by mistake? But don't computers generally have a default to choose their "own" network?

If it's really that easy to get onto someone else's network, I see your point, but it seems you have to go out of your way to do it.

My computer sometimes would try to connect to our neighbour network automatically. I live in an apartment complex with at least 20 different avalible wireless networks and at least 5 of them are have full signal strength.

Anyhow, my point is, you don't even need to have the same name, a lot of the time the computer would just try to connect to random signal by itself. And that's already after I set it to not to connect to my neighbouts' networks.

 

[mkrishnan]

I would definitely frack with this person in frustrating but ultimately innocuous ways. I'd try to resist the urge but it would overpower me.