Hey Neighbor, Stop Piggybacking on My Wireless

Hey Neighbor, Stop Piggybacking on My Wireless


link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/05/te...=1&oref=slogin

While installing Internet service for the local cable company I noticed
that many college students purposely left their network open creating a
shared Wi-Fi network, and considering that Athen's Georgia has a large
Collage campus with a Wi-Fi network. Making Athens Georgia one
of the most friendly Wi-Fi spots in the nation.

How is someone to know if you left your network open to
share, or because you were not a) intelligent enough, or b) to lazy to
secure your network, or c) Left it open to share
your network connection?

Robert Miller

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:

<snip>

> How is someone to know if you left your network open to
> share, or because you were not a) intelligent enough, or b) to lazy to
> secure your network, or c) Left it open to share
> your network connection?

You can't know this for sure.

However you can assume that if someone has an open network and kept the
default SSID (typically LinkSys, default, Netgear, 2Wire, etc), then
they are a) or b), and you should not use the network, as they probably
didn't intentionally leave it open.

You saw in that article that many people just take the router out of the
box, connect it, and it works; they don't change anything. If they were
intelligent enough to change the SSID, then perhaps you can assume that
they were also intelligent enough to enable WEP or WPA if they didn't
want others using their network. Of course there is no way of knowing
this for sure.

Practice safe wireless. Always use VPN when connecting to an unknown
wireless network (as a bonus, using VPN gets rid of advertisements on
advertising supported free wireless networks).

On 6 Mar 2006 13:04:04 -0800, in alt.internet.wireless ,
(E-Mail Removed) wrote:

>How is someone to know if you left your network open to
>share, or because you were not a) intelligent enough, or b) to lazy to
>secure your network, or c) Left it open to share
>your network connection?

Sometimes people change the SSID to something indicative like
"HOTSPOT" or whatever. Sometimes they configure it to take you to a
webpage when you first connect. But other than that, there's no way to
be sure. If you're not sure, you shouldn't use it unless you can find
the physical owner.
Mark McIntyre
--

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<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) ups.com...
> How is someone to know if you left your network open to
> share, or because you were not a) intelligent enough, or b) to lazy to
> secure your network, or c) Left it open to share
> your network connection?
>
> Robert Miller

A convention that I've seen around where I live, which I also adopted, is to
suffix your SSID name with "_OPEN" if you are keeping it open by choice.

But, yeah, I'm with you -- there really is no standard way to tell. Too bad
the 802.11 specs didn't incorporate a "flag" that could be used to announce
if an open SSID is left open intentionally.

In article <(E-Mail Removed). com>, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>While installing Internet service for the local cable company I noticed
>that many college students purposely left their network open creating a
>shared Wi-Fi network, and considering that Athen's Georgia has a large
>Collage campus with a Wi-Fi network. Making Athens Georgia one
>of the most friendly Wi-Fi spots in the nation.
>
>How is someone to know if you left your network open to
>share, or because you were not a) intelligent enough, or b) to lazy to
>secure your network, or c) Left it open to share
>your network connection?
>
>Robert Miller
>

Be careful now that we are moving into spring when riding around in
Athens. You never know when you might be stopped at a traffic light with
the windows down and some one could toss a diploma in the window.

fundamentalism, fundamentally wrong.

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> Hey Neighbor, Stop Piggybacking on My Wireless
>
>
> link:
> http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/05/te...=1&oref=slogin
>
I admit to have piggybacked on several occasions when traveling.

I usually try to improve my hosts' situation as I depart.

For example, not only do these people leave their networks open, but
they also leave their router admin password on the factory setting. So
usually as I leave I try to tune up their router. At one location I saw
that my in-law's neighbor's border was visiting porn sites late at
night, so I took the liberty of blocking access to these sites. Can't
have our neighbor locked up for harboring a criminal, can we.

In article <7mqPf.43352$(E-Mail Removed)> , Philip <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>> Hey Neighbor, Stop Piggybacking on My Wireless
>>
>>
>> link:
>> http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/05/te...=1&oref=slogin
>>
>I admit to have piggybacked on several occasions when traveling.
>
>I usually try to improve my hosts' situation as I depart.
>
>For example, not only do these people leave their networks open, but
>they also leave their router admin password on the factory setting. So
>usually as I leave I try to tune up their router. At one location I saw
>that my in-law's neighbor's border was visiting porn sites late at
>night, so I took the liberty of blocking access to these sites. Can't
>have our neighbor locked up for harboring a criminal, can we.

Internet p0rn in most jurisdictions in the US at least is not illegal. But
nice touch tweaking their set ups. I've been tempted more then once to turn
on security for them, but manage to restrain myself.

fundamentalism, fundamentally wrong.

[POSTED TO alt.internet.wireless - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <3oHPf.73$(E-Mail Removed)> on Wed, 08 Mar 2006 20:49:04 GMT,
(E-Mail Removed) (Rico) wrote:

>In article <7mqPf.43352$(E-Mail Removed)> , Philip <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>>> Hey Neighbor, Stop Piggybacking on My Wireless
>>>
>>> link:
>>> http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/05/te...=1&oref=slogin
>>>
>>I admit to have piggybacked on several occasions when traveling.
>>
>>I usually try to improve my hosts' situation as I depart.
>>
>>For example, not only do these people leave their networks open, but
>>they also leave their router admin password on the factory setting. So
>>usually as I leave I try to tune up their router. At one location I saw
>>that my in-law's neighbor's border was visiting porn sites late at
>>night, so I took the liberty of blocking access to these sites. Can't
>>have our neighbor locked up for harboring a criminal, can we.
>
>Internet p0rn in most jurisdictions in the US at least is not illegal. But
>nice touch tweaking their set ups. I've been tempted more then once to turn
>on security for them, but manage to restrain myself.

How do you turn on security without knocking all the client computers off the
air?

--
Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR ALT.INTERNET.WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/FAQ_for_alt.internet.wireless>

John Navas wrote:
> [POSTED TO alt.internet.wireless - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]
>
> In <3oHPf.73$(E-Mail Removed)> on Wed, 08 Mar 2006 20:49:04 GMT,
> (E-Mail Removed) (Rico) wrote:
>
>
>>In article <7mqPf.43352$(E-Mail Removed)> , Philip <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>
>>>(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>>>
>>>>Hey Neighbor, Stop Piggybacking on My Wireless
>>>>
>>>>link:
>>>>http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/05/te...=1&oref=slogin
>>>>
>>>
>>>I admit to have piggybacked on several occasions when traveling.
>>>
>>>I usually try to improve my hosts' situation as I depart.
>>>
>>>For example, not only do these people leave their networks open, but
>>>they also leave their router admin password on the factory setting. So
>>>usually as I leave I try to tune up their router. At one location I saw
>>>that my in-law's neighbor's border was visiting porn sites late at
>>>night, so I took the liberty of blocking access to these sites. Can't
>>>have our neighbor locked up for harboring a criminal, can we.
>>
>>Internet p0rn in most jurisdictions in the US at least is not illegal. But
>>nice touch tweaking their set ups. I've been tempted more then once to turn
>>on security for them, but manage to restrain myself.
>
>
> How do you turn on security without knocking all the client computers off the
> air?



Disallow the router admin access via the wireless connection.