Unknown (Rogue?) Access Point

I have recently installed a wireless LAN at home and have secured it
(!) with macid restrictions and WPA-PSK. While using Netstumbler I
just discovered what could have been a rogue access point in my
vicinity; for a brief moment, an unknown access point appeared with
the same SSID as my network but with a different channel and no
security - it has since disappeared.

I saved the netstumbler data and identified the manufacturer by the
macid, confirming that it wasn't my any of my gear.

Would it be possible for my laptop to associate with the rogue AP
instead of my own, thereby passing all my lovely data through someone
elses packet logger?

Paul

Paul Wilkinson wrote:
> I have recently installed a wireless LAN at home and have secured it
> (!) with macid restrictions and WPA-PSK. While using Netstumbler I
> just discovered what could have been a rogue access point in my
> vicinity; for a brief moment, an unknown access point appeared with
> the same SSID as my network but with a different channel and no
> security - it has since disappeared.
>
> I saved the netstumbler data and identified the manufacturer by the
> macid, confirming that it wasn't my any of my gear.
>
> Would it be possible for my laptop to associate with the rogue AP
> instead of my own, thereby passing all my lovely data through someone
> elses packet logger?
>
> Paul

If it had no security you should have had a warning.