07-11-2005, 11:00 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,386
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Florida Man Arrested for Illegally Using Another Person's Wi-Fi
"Benjamin Smith III, 40, was arrested on April 21 outside the St. Petersburg home of Richard Dinon and charged under a Florida law that prohibits unauthorized access to a computer or network, says George Kajtsa, the police department's public information officer. <...> Dinon saw Smith sitting in a parked sport-utility vehicle in front of his house and wondered what he was doing there, then saw he was using a notebook computer, Kajtsa says. <...> 'What made him suspicious was, every time he looked toward the car, the guy closed the lid on his laptop,' Kajtsa says. Dinon called police. When they came to the scene and approached the vehicle, Smith closed the computer again. The police asked him what he was doing and he finally owned up to it, Kajtsa says."
It was bound to happen sooner or later. We all have heard of people who engage in "wardriving" where a person seeks out a Wi-Fi signal with the intention of getting free internet access at someone else's expense. In this case, it unfortunately took the stupidity of the criminal himself for the arrest to happen (this reminds me of the robber who accepted a personal check after his victim informed him that she didn't have any cash in the house). We may be some ways away from being able to identify violators immediately without relying on them to handcuff themselves. I'm just glad that we never saw the security proposition approved that would have held both the victim and the perpetrator guilty. :roll:
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07-11-2005, 11:11 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,725
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I'm glad to start seeing some crackdown on this type of crime. Sure, everyone should secure his/her own network, but at the same time, isn't connecting to someone's network wirelessly the same as doing so wired, or breaking and entering? Very interesting topic. Check out the article FAQ: Wi-Fi mooching and the law on ZDNet too, if you're interested.
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07-11-2005, 11:11 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 6,305
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So the guy is worried about his wireless being used for something illegal and he left it wide open? A simple MAC address restriction would have helped ya think?? :roll:
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07-11-2005, 11:24 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 108
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I hate thieves. Wouldn't it be nice to live in a place where we didn't have to lock the doors to our house or our car? I don't know where that place is.
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07-11-2005, 11:27 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 171
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I think saying the homeowner should have done something differently is the wrong approach. The guy (stealing wifi) clearing knew he was breaking the rules, why should the victim have to change what they do?
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07-11-2005, 11:27 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 143
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I think a HUGE number of people...
1. Don't lock-down their access points out of ignorance or arrogance (but mostly ignorance).
2. Use open access points knowing it's "wrong" but not knowing it's against the law.
3. Think using an access point to pass-through to the Internet is ok as long as you don't browse the "host's" computer.
And, occasionally, someone will use someone else's access point by mistake. In the 75 feet between the end of my building and the far wall of the store front next to mine, there are three access points. Only one is protected. I sometimes will connect to the open point by mistake because I forget to flip-off my wireless switch when I'm using the wired Ethernet in my office. I sit down and connect a few times a day and sometimes don't pay enough attention to the list of available points when I hit ENTER and connect.
I really think the two guys should have worked it out between them rather than getting the police involved, but many people don't agree with me on that. I would have knocked on the guy's car window and asked him what he was doing, but then again, I would lock-down my access point too.
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07-11-2005, 11:31 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,162
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The guy did do pretty much everything just to make himself stick out.
I would hope he isn't thrown in jail, but he knew he wasn't innocent.
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07-11-2005, 11:38 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 51
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I'm g;ad someone caught him
It was obvious this guy was trying to get free Internet Access on somebody elses dime. That's not right. But like all who have said before the access point should be locked down.
__________________
MCSE +Security*and IBM Advanced Cerified Systems Administrator HP Ipaq 2795, HP*Compaq 6715b Notebook, Socket Bluetooth GPS
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07-11-2005, 11:58 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 469
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To me, it isn't something that should be openly allowed while at the same time, should have been locked down better. I don't just leave my car unlocked when I go into a store and expect it to be secure. It's just common sense on both sides.
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07-12-2005, 12:17 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,479
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by G M Fude
I hate thieves. Wouldn't it be nice to live in a place where we didn't have to lock the doors to our house or our car? I don't know where that place is.
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My door is never locked, I live in Belgium.
Canada and Scandinavia are nice places as well I hear.
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