[K12OSN] OT: wardriving

[Eric Brown]

Hello all,

I've been amazed by the number of open wireless networks even in my
little town of about 10k.

A little while back, I wrote a paper for a graduate class I was taking
in network security.  I didn't get asked if I was Ghostbusting, but I
did get a number of strange looks with my setup.

You can find a copy of the paper at:
http://www.keokukhigh.net/~ericbrow/wardriving.pdf

I'm not sure what you mean by Windows being dangerous.  Netstumbler is
just a program that works at the application layer.  If you're meaning
that with your equipment it produced dangerous waves, I would think
it's more the extra equipment than the program.  While I'm no fan of
Windows, I'm just as disgusted with OS X at this time.  Our school's
wireless network is mostly open because those in charge can't get WEP
to work.  Furthermore, we're forced to use 10-base hubs because the
Macs flip out when hooked to a 100/1000 base switch (tested with
switches from multiple manufacturers).  I'd still use XP over OS X,
but I'd prefer FOSS over all.

As a country, we may end up with an accidential wireless mesh network yet.

Eric

On 3/8/07, "Terrell Prudé Jr." <microman at cmosnetworks.com> wrote:
> ssh at tranquility.net wrote:
> > Somewhat off topic for this list, but this is a pretty geeky bunch. I
> > work with network security, and am an avid wardriver hobbyist as well.
> >
> > Last weekend I tried it in a plane. This is a situation where Windows
> > will be bad for your health.
> >
> > http://forum.s-t-d.org/viewtopic.php?id=2930
> >
> > thx
> > Scott S.
> >
>
> Yep, it's amazing how many wireless access points I've seen that are
> wide-open or only using WEP.  And this is true even at a lot of
> schools!  A few years back, some reporter in Atherton, CA (in Silicon
> Valley) approached the local school district asking if wireless was
> secured there.  They shooed him off, saying that it was just fine, thank
> you.  He ended up proving that it wasn't and, because of the district's
> bad attitude toward him, published an article about it, which went
> nationwide.  Turns out their entire SASIxp student database was
> available for the pickin'.  All of a sudden, that district decided that
> they needed to secure their wireless...wow...imagine that...!
>
> This is a situation where Windows infrastructures can be bad for your
> *kid's* health.  We all know there are crazies out there, and we don't
> need to make it easier for 'em.
>
> --TP
>
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