Free Broadband Internet Access

[RED_EL_XR8]

Running corproate networks I've always enforced a WI-Fi ban due to security concerns and nether really played with the stuff other than to disable it on Cenrino Notebooks.
I bought a few 802.11g cards for the reserve bid on E-Bay over the break and plugged one in yesterday for a play. With a simple PCMCIA card with no external antenna I can link to at least 6 open access points from home. Unlimited Net access, Default passwords still in the access point setups. I was worried the security can be broken it appears the average user doesn't even use it.
I'll have to speak to a few neighbours and warn them.

Who else can see open connections?

[Casper]

All the time.
Not from home but many cliets have houses around them and I can often just link up by turning on the computer.
Good for surfing the forums.

[Tornado]

Some corporates don't care if you use their bandwidth, thay have a cabled corporate network and then have a wireless network for visiters and guests to access the internet with vpn access back to the corporate network.

[RED_EL_XR8]

Originally Posted by MYTE8

Some corporates don't care if you use their bandwidth, thay have a cabled corporate network and then have a wireless network for visiters and guests to access the internet with vpn access back to the corporate network.

If the Wi-Fi is segregated onto and has no access to the corporate lan. No way you want uncontrolled access via a corporate lan. Just giving Net access is headache enough.

[Blackman]

a friend and me have found the bluetooth connection in hearvy norman on a pocket pc once

[DivHunter]

Wireless without being completely shut off is never secure and should never be used for anything of any importance. What fool came up with wireless survailence cameras? any wireless PPC stock off the shelf no extra software can shutdown an entire wireless network no matter what protection it has and they are still working on that problem (it has been months)

[svo347]

Its fun to bluejack unsuspecting victims from shopping centres heheheh * apparently

[mick.wheelz]

yes svo347 it is fun*

*apparantly

[XWGT]

Even better had a well known accounting firms forensic IT people in a few weeks ago, demanding full back ups of every laptop, server etc etc.

Killed myself laughing to discover 6 of there notebooks had unsecured wi-fi connections and I could connect to every one of their laptops lol

[perkz]

I usually see around 4 or 5 wireless networks from my house, I've connected to a few of them and had the fun of playing with windows XP's greatest invention - autodetected networked printers ;)

That said - my home network is wireless, and has been for a while now. I challenge anyone who thinks wireless security is crap to park themselves in front of my house and crack the WPA key.

[RED_EL_XR8]

Originally Posted by perkz

I usually see around 4 or 5 wireless networks from my house, I've connected to a few of them and had the fun of playing with windows XP's greatest invention - autodetected networked printers ;)

That said - my home network is wireless, and has been for a while now. I challenge anyone who thinks wireless security is crap to park themselves in front of my house and crack the WPA key.

Nothing is more incentive than a challange -! :hihi:

[perkz]

Originally Posted by RED_EL_XR8

Nothing is more incentive than a challange -! :hihi:

But no one seems to want to hack me :(

[RED_EL_XR8]

Originally Posted by perkz

But no one seems to want to hack me :(

Maybe they're already there!!!

[DivHunter]

The idea is that you never knew they were there...

DoS attacks cannot be prevented on wireless due to collision avoidance rather than collision detection. It's a fundamental flaw and is easily exploited.

[Pearly]

I can pick up one from a neighbour. Haven't been able to tell which one though yet.