New Year Resolution-WiFi Security?

[bdegroodt]

So it seems half my floor now has WiFi APs enabled. Half of which are locked and the other half make me wonder why I bother paying for internet access when I have such nice neighbors. Personally, I don't have a problem sharing...BUT...One of my new neighbors enabled his file sharing in Windows and hasn't bothered to at least require a password.

So, while recently networking some Linux machines together at home, I stumbled into a couple of drives that didn't ring a bell. They were my neighbors (nice porn neighbor! I'm sure your mom would be proud!).

In any case, I left him a note in about 15 different places on his machine, in hopes that he would follow the instructions and lock up his drive.

Just a friendly reminder to make sure you're safe. :twisted:

[sublime]

I'm sorry, but that's bloody hilarious.

Nice porn neighbour!

I'd be an ******* and change up his shortcuts, so that when his mother thinks she's going to play a nice game of Yahtzee on the computer, she sees her son's personal video collection.

Oh man, that would be so sweet.

[Dave Potter]

I'd be an a****le and change up his shortcuts, so that when his mother thinks she's going to play a nice game of Yahtzee on the computer, she sees her son's personal video collection.

Oh man, that would be so sweet.

Once again, sublime, a prime example of why I find your posts so thoroughly entertaining!

:)

[Kati Compton]

Sure those pics didn't belong to the mother? 8O :lol:

[Dave Potter]

Sure those pics didn't belong to the mother? 8O :lol:

Ha!!! That's a good one!
Hey - you never know... maybe the pics are his mother???!!!

:pukeface2:

(sorry - couldn't resist. Baaaaad Zippper!)

[bdegroodt]

I had a little good vs bad argument with myself. I thought of adding some of those "special" files to his start-up file so he'd get a little shock the next time he booted...but good won out. Now if after a week he hasn't taken any action to lock up his machine, would I be a bad guy to do it? :twisted:

[Dave Potter]

Now if after a week he hasn't taken any action to lock up his machine, would I be a bad guy to do it? :twisted:

I think you'd be doing him a favor :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

[Kati Compton]

I'd be careful - I mean, it's possible you could get into some trouble for "hacking" his machine, even IF it's his fault he left it open. Such as, even if your neighbor always leaves their door unlocked, it would probably be a bad idea to go in when they're not home and spraypaint "Lock your stupid door" all over the walls.... I'd leave it alone.

[bdegroodt]

Hmmm...but HE invaded my network neighborhood. I didn't invite him onto my machine.

[Janak Parekh]

Hmmm...but HE invaded my network neighborhood. I didn't invite him onto my machine.
:confused totally: I don't get it. How'd he get onto your wireless network? I thought you password protected yours?

--janak

[bdegroodt]

Hmmm...but HE invaded my network neighborhood. I didn't invite him onto my machine.
:confused totally: I don't get it. How'd he get onto your wireless network? I thought you password protected yours?

--janak

I was being a smart*ss. Didn't come across on my post. But seriously, I think a court would have a hard time proving squat on who invaded the other's network neighborhood first. Probably wouldn't care too much either.

[Janak Parekh]

True, but you're a nice guy, right? RIGHT? :grinning devil:

--janak

[bdegroodt]

True, but you're a nice guy, right? RIGHT? :grinning devil:

--janak

I am! I'm innocent I tell ya! But it does make me a little nervous to think people are running around all unlocked like that. Granted, he had to unlock to get to that point, but I really wonder how much "stuff" is going to be stolen from people's hard drives as more and more people network their machines wirelessly to things like televisions, radios, and other computers.

I know we have a no wireless policy at work, but when I turn on my 4355 and wander the halls, I get all kinds of "Would you like to connect?" messages. Only a matter of time before some unsuspecting individual that just wanted to watch their stolen DIVX on the TV ends up giving away the farm to someone nearby.

I read recently about "Airsnarf (http://www.noticebored.com/html/body_mobile.html)" and the wheels really started turning.

[Janak Parekh]

But it does make me a little nervous to think people are running around all unlocked like that.
Indeed, and it's even worse if people are punching holes in the company firewall by installing their own personal APs. At work (in an academic institution) we "solved" the problem by assuming the network is inherently utterly insecure (which it is), and we rely almost entirely on application-layer security. However, as you imply, this won't work for a lot of businesses.

--janak

[sublime]

Enough of this nice guy crap. Stop being a wuss and pornify his mother's Yahtzee.

If you're good, and he has a camera hooked up to the computer, set it up for motion detect, then tape his mother's reaction to the pornification of Yahtzee. Watch her cover her mouth in shock, storm out of the room and drag her son back by the ear.

Then have a pop-up window say something like "Smile, you're on Candid Camera"

Dude, that would be so great.

[JackTheTripper]

I say PORN HIM!!!!!

[Kati Compton]

Again, keep in mind that if they find out it's you (such as if for some reason someone they know HAPPENS to read this thread...) you could quite possibly get into legal trouble.

[DimensionZero]

Every machine broadcasts it's presence to the network.

So it doesn't matter if a computer is password protected or not, it'll still show up in a list of networks. The password prevents an outsider from accessing the available resources on that computer.

Yeah, I've left my AP open to public use but no one around here seems to have wireless in my neighbourhood... I just bought a new antenna for it too last nite so I've got full coverage in my house now and then some on the lower floor. =)

I don't really mind if anyone uses it as long as they don't become hogs... So far no one has... And all my computers are nicely protected.

I'd like to eventually set up protected wifi, so only authenticated users can access it (my AP is screwy and if I turn on WEP, the router crashes every so often or I woulda turned it on already).

There's gotta be something fun to do with my linux server to do this.... Ideas?

[Vulcan]

To all those with open WiFi points......

Suppose some lowlife sniffs out your open access point and starts to download some kiddie porn etc.....The police are monitoring the porn site and record the IP of the download....They track the IP back to your ISP who in turn fingers you as the customer that had that IP at the time of the download.....Try and explain that one away!!!

My WiFi is Wep and Mac address controlled.....I think that that should be the basic level that anybody uses.


Just my 2 cents...

[sublime]

To all those with open WiFi points......

Suppose some lowlife sniffs out your open access point and starts to download some kiddie porn etc.....The police are monitoring the porn site and record the IP of the download....They track the IP back to your ISP who in turn fingers you as the customer that had that IP at the time of the download.....Try and explain that one away!!!



I swear, if my old neighbours were here (may they die of gonorrhea and burn in hell!) and they left their Wifi open, I would sooooo do that to them. Then I would kick their dog.

[DimensionZero]

lol.

Wifi security is still young.

WEP, disabled SSID, and MAC Address filtering blocks out the general public, but anyone with a little knowledge, time on google and on their hands can easily by pass these. (ie, man-in-the-middle attacks and mac address cloning).

WPA is a step forward, but until people start using RADIUS for authentication, everything else is just raising the bar.

[Janak Parekh]

WEP, disabled SSID, and MAC Address filtering blocks out the general public, but anyone with a little knowledge, time on google and on their hands can easily by pass these. (ie, man-in-the-middle attacks and mac address cloning).
Of course. We're talking "home" environments here, for which this is generally adequate -- if you also secure your shares, etc., it makes for a reasonably secure setup for non-critical environments.

WPA is a step forward, but until people start using RADIUS for authentication, everything else is just raising the bar.
Even RADIUS is just authentication, right? Not data security. For true security, you need IPsec or something similar... (or are you talking about 802.1x using RADIUS?)

--janak

[DimensionZero]

sorry, yeah. I was more along the lines of preventing outside users from even connecting to your wireless network.