Naming a wireless network
Had been to the doctor today. There were many people already queued up. So, i decided to catch up on some pending work and took my laptop inside the doc’s office. I was going to work on some local documents and wasn’t interested in the popup which said that there were some wirless networks in range. Out of curiosity, i decided to check out the available networks and guess what the name of the network was….
I’ve actually seen a few disturbing network names myself…
While surfing around town, on occasion I’ll check my laptop to see what networks we’re sailing past. I’ve seen “WOOKeggerPartyTonite” to “GetYourPornHere” and the amusing “D***YouXboxBrats”
…I actually met the owner of that last network. He got sick and tired of the next door neighbor’s kids using his wireless for their Live accounts.
If you leave your network unsecured, you deserve to have it hacked, your bandwidth stolen, overage charges incurred on your behalf from your local ISP. If I was so inclined to go war-driving and saw an SSID with a name like that, it would give me double the reason to use your network. In fact, I’d probably change all the settings and lock you out of your own router, while I used up all your bandwidth until you smartened up enough to figure out how to configure it properly. WPA(2) with a non-dictionary hackable password or bust, people. Get a clue.
Here in Britain it is actually legal to connect to an unsecured network, as if someone doesn’t want you to join there network, they should protect it. It counts as hacking, though, if you break into a secure network.
WPA2 should use the randomly generated password it gives you. its typically 13 to 21 characters long and a random combination of letters and numbers.
I don’t know the legal standd here in Cyprus, but the argument can be on the basis that if the door of a house is open, it is not enough justification for you to walk in!
Sorry Gazco, I’m afraid it is not legal:
The Communications Act 2003 says a “person who (a) dishonestly obtains an electronic communications service, and (b) does so with intent to avoid payment of a charge applicable to the provision of that service, is guilty of an offence”.
There are also suggestions using somebody else’s wireless could come under the Computer Misuse Act.
If you are taking what is someone else’s without intending to pay for it then you are stealing. It being unsecured makes no difference – if someone leaves their front door unlocked it does not then become legal to take their property.
Komakino —
I agree with you; however, the prevailing hacker ethic appears to be that it is permissible to break into unsecured or weakly secured systems. They’re doing a favor to the owner, you see.
And no, this isn’t the same Anonymous who left the original message. I simply don’t want to trigger some low-brain script kiddy’s adolescent revenge fantasies.
rajaram and others:
You’re not walking in unannounced. When you connect to an unsecured wireless network, you ask them for permission to join. Before you can use their internet connection (or take files of their computer, whatever) they have to give you permission. The problem is that most routers these days are configured by default to give anyone and everyone permission to use all of their services.
Mine at home: “Nacho Network”
In addition to the aforementioned security suggested in posts above, don’t broadcast your SSID name…..
The problem with the “open door” theory is my computer automatically trys to gain access. I have never caught my leg carrying into an unlocked house.
But my lappy will just scan and scan . I’ll be connected to a wireless point and not even know working offline. .
Show me a guy that does this , And I’ll name the disability
An unsecured wireless network is not like someone leaving their house door open, it’s as if your neighbor was watering her garden on the property line and water came over onto my yard. If I choose to line up buckets on my property to collect the stray water droplets, who are they to complain about it. It’s not as if I would go on their property to run a hose from their house, they were just to lazy or stupid to limit the flow to only their own yard.
Oh, and “F**K VIACOM!”
nice stuff.
Look, it’s as simple as FFC rules.
The part of the radio spectrum that 802.11 uses is considered “Amateur broadcast space”. Anything you broadcast in the amateur space can be legally picked up by anyone with the equipment to do so.
So, if you are broadcasting an unencrypted 802.11 data network, anyone within range is completely legally entitled to use that broadcast for any legal purpose. The person connecting is not responsible for violating the terms of service of your ISP – YOU are by allowing them to do it.
Ignorance is not an excuse for breaking a law (or contract, in this case). If you want the freedom of having a wireless network in your home, you have to be willing to either take the time to learn how to keep it private, or share it with the neighborhood.
You are broadcasting the microwaves to your neighbors, your neighbors are not stealing them. Commenters, you are right – this is not ‘leaving the door open’. This is leaving the door open and putting up a sign on the fence that says “please, everyone is welcome, come on in, help yourself to some snacks, and feel free to watch our TV”.
Dan – Your thought process could quite possibly be making everyone here a whole lot dumber. Please, for the sake of humanity, shut up. You can’t bend FCC rules and interpret them to fancy yourself and desires. Nice try but you FAIL. Now go home to mommy and daddy’s house and surf some more porn.
Haha mine is “NOT4YOU” but that one is way better.
Mine used to be called GoFuckYourself, but we had complaints from the neighbors, so now its just GFYS…