Wireless Internet Morality

[Stelliform]

Originally posted by alset
I think you should see if you can find them (I found three networks on my floor using MacStumbler) and warn them. Now you're a nice guy, so they might do you a favor, sometime. Also, you're stacking up some karma points, and we all need those.

Keep in mind that using someone else's wifi could get them in a lot of trouble - P2P could be traced back to their broadband, and you could get them sued. You wouldn't want someone to do it to you, would you?

Dan

I am a Computer Networking Consultant, and I set up a Wifi without security in one of my offices. I explained the options and they didn't want to fool with WEP or anything. A Technology firm moved in next door and found the Wifi and came to warn them. (And also hinted that they could fix it..)

My client was so freaked out that they were looking for their Wifi that they don't trust the guys at all! (they also mentioned a couple of computer names to prove they saw the network..) My client asked me to come put in security to keep those guys out...

I always thought I could drum up extra business by finding open Wifi and warning the business, but I learned a lesson that day. Businesses will freak out that you were looking. I guess it would be for them like you walked all around their building trying every window until you got in, then walked around inside and read the names on the office doors to prove you got in. Then you came back the next day and warned them that they need to buy locks for their windows, and then they call the cops on you..

Your intentions might be good but they perceive them to not be.

(By the way I keep my home Wifi open... The SID is Play_nice. )

 

[notjustjay]

At home I keep my network MAC-address restricted and 128-bit WEP enabled.

Last month I helped my sister move into her new apartment in the city of SARS (i.e. Toronto ) and for the first few days she had no phone line or cable or any way to get on the net. I discovered using my laptop that there were a good 8-12 wireless networks being picked up from her place. Most of them were too weak a signal to do anything with, but there were a few that would reliably connect... and 3 of them had NO security at all. I'll admit that I did avail myself to one of them in order to quickly get on the web.

This guy had obviously simply taken out his Linksys router and plugged it in ... it had all the default settings including the default router password! D'oh!

 

[tomf87]

This is similar to the cheaper telephones sold here in the US. They use frequencies in the 20 - 30 Mhz range and any scanner can pick up these signals and you can hear them. However, listening to these is both immoral and legal. You don't know the type of traffic someone is transmitting (phone or wireless).

I really just don't understand why people have to lower their morality bar to justify something. I guess I just expect people to have higher standards, and judging by the way TV shows, movies, and music are degrading, I doubt that most people have standards of any kind.

Back to this post, if anyone has to question this, then they should ask what they would do if they got caught. Would you feel bad? If so, then you do have some morals and probably shouldn't do it. Then again, if you just don't care, then maybe you might want to rethink your moral situation again.

Somebody HAS to raise the bar sometime.

 

[SiliconAddict]

Originally posted by Sun Baked
>SiliconAddict

I wonder how much SPAM somebody could launch with that map of yours.

Of course everytime you launch some, it would probably burn a hole in the location.

As the nastygram from the ISP is quite a bitter pill.

Dang. I never thought about Spam
Someone with a laptop and decent external antenna could do some fairly nasty stuff. My current list is composed of 1905 Access Points. (Of which I have 9 with the SSID of MSFTWLAN Guess who owns those AP ) Of those 569 of 1905 have encryption on. However that doesn't mean they don't have security. Something as simple as MAC (No not Mac. M.A.C ) filtering could take the place of encryption.
It somewhat disheartening to see Apple and Apple Network in the list and of those they are only a very small drop in the bucket. (21AP's)

Another thing I would like to point out is that there are legit free AP's out there. http://www.surfthing.com/surfthing.html as example. In this case this is just for MN but its an example of the idea of free unrestricted net access. Something I hope to see nation wide someday.

[Public Service Announcement Mode = 1 ]
Also. Guys burry this in the back of your heads for me. If you ever hear of a Mac user having problems connecting to a PC access point with WEP even though he/she has used the correct string its most likely that the AP is set to auth on a separate key other then key 1.
I don't know how Mac Airport AP's work but PC AP's have the ability to store 4 or more encryptions keys and can set to auth on a specific one. For some reason Macs get funky when its not set to key 1. I spent 2 week on the phone with Linksys who told me that they don't support Macs. (I informed them that they just lost a future return customer by that comment.) And on the phone with Apple support. Neither caught this. It was just a stroke of pure luck, and desperation on my part, that I figured lets try setting it back to key 1 and vola! it worked. So if for some weird reason in the future you hear about a Mac not being able to auth on a PC wireless network. Remember key 1. [This has been a public service announcement by SiliconAddict. We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.]

 

[rhpenguin]

I got the Airport card in my laptop just so i could go around and use other peoples wireless networks since i dont have internet in my apartment because my roomate is a tool and didnt pay the cable bill so i cant get another account. I say use it, but do NOT go running a muck on their network and get into their personal files. Have some respect for their privacy.

I told my neighbour that im using his wi-fi and initally he was pissed off but then i said ill chip in on your bill monthly and he was cool with that. But i mean just use some common sense. If you can find out who it is, tell them and see if they care. If they do help them out and lock it down a little.

Just use common sense.

 

[Toeknee]

wireless access on campus...

I go to a college where we dont have any major campus wide wireless network. So today as I sat in the engineering building I turned AP on and low and behold I got a strong signal. Got an 802.11b signal from somewhere near by, I checked my mail and then got off. I don't know what to do, should I ask around and find the classroom or faculty member that has an unsecure wi-fi point? or just keep using it and hope i dont get caught?.... ( i think ill go with the former just wanna hear what yall think)

 

[rainman::|:|]

Okay. as was said before, no one owns this frequency. no one owns the channels on it. you can use the channels on it, for just about anything you like, and if you want a channel to be private, you secure it. keep in mind folks, an 802.11 card is a radio transmitter, they're broadcasting this signal all over-- and not securing it? in so many ways, it'd be like setting up and FM radio station and then getting pissed because people were listening to it. it's a standard frequency with standard equipment. if you can't use it properly in this day and age, you probably deserve whatever's coming

so, if it were me, i'd probably use the connection. activity limits are rare in the USA. don't go digging in his computer. even i can't justify that one--

ah, i should mention, this will not hold up in court.

pnw

 

[Makosuke]

The whole thing is a pretty shady area, but I think a previous poster put it well when they said "How would you feel if someone was doing it to you?"

If you'd be pissed off (which most, though not all, people would be), you should probably say something to them or at least not use it yourself. And I don't see what a huge issue asking for permission would be; if they say no, you'd have been doing something they didn't want you to do anyway, and if they say yes, you're off the moral hook so to speak.

After all, you don't know their situation; if they have unrestricted bandwidth and you're just checking your e-mail, they'll never notice. If they do and you spend all night downloading porn, they could have problems. You could also just slow down their network unnecessarily and leave them wondering why.

Of course, if you're going all out with Kazaa and they get sued by the RIAA, then you're downright evil even if they did leave themselves open to it.

Probably the best analogy would be if someone set up a TV in their living room, but you can easily see it form your living room through the window, and your remote control happens to work with it too. Just sitting there watching it over their shoulder might be a bit rude, but it's a no-harm situation. If you use your remote to order some pay-per view movies, then you're doing something really wrong.