Warchalking

The Bouncer

Hi has anyone heard of warchalking been used in Ireland by anyone? Looks like a good idea to me...

B

rymus

there was a piece on it in the paper some time ago so I can only presume it's alive and well. Apart from that, heard nothing about it.

vibe666

yeah, its going on here and there. you can get access from grand canal dock apparently which is apparently chalked because of either esat or accenture.

you might find things around and about if you keep your eyes peeled for the )( symbol.

I only live 5 minutes round the corner, so I rfeally should take the laptop round there and have a look see.

if you're interested in all that sort of thing then www.irishwan.org would be a good place to visit online or if you'd rather discuss things face to face www.dublin2600.org have beetings every month to discuss all types of networking and security stuff in town.

jesus_thats_gre

I have always been curious about this. Shame its frowned upon by the mods which means ya cant really have an honest chat about it..

Gunn4r

I originally posted on boards that there is a 'chalk' (although it is paint) mark on the platform at GCDock, dunno is it still there but again must be there cos esat or someone...

Capt'n Midnight

Originally posted by The Bouncer
Hi has anyone heard of warchalking been used in Ireland by anyone? Looks like a good idea to me...

B

If someone leaves their door or window open, would you take that as an invitation to help your self ??????

The chances are that if they don't have security enabled then they don't have capless broad band, so there would likely be a direct financial cost.

Yes the cost of Hot-Spots is prohibitive, but that's rip off ireland for you..

If you want to contribute to building a network then have a look at www.irishwan.org

or if you'd rather discuss things face to face www.dublin2600.org have beetings every month

Kinky

vibe666

maybe that should have been 'meetings'.

or should it?

theking

Accessing an unprotected internet connection, wired or wirelessly falls under the new (since August 2002) definition of theft. It is a criminal offence. Whether a garda would be clued in enough to go "Waaait a minute.." is another question.

peterd

Originally posted by theking
Accessing an unprotected internet connection...

Even your own net connection?

irishgeo

Originally posted by theking
is a criminal offence. Whether a garda would be clued in enough to go "Waaait a minute.." is another question.

You could just say your an technician or consultant checking the security of the network from outside!

vibe666

for those curious types out there, there's a piece of kit no wifi enabled laptop user should be without, called netstumbler which allows you to view 'in range' wifi networks without actually trying to log into them. it will give you the status of said netowrks and even a little signal strength indicator oN a rolling chart.

very handy for setting up connections too, so you know where your signal will and will not reach, and for making sure your network is closed.

and all this without stepping over the line of what is considered 'legal' whether it's your own network or someone elses.

handy stuff.

Capt'n Midnight

Originally posted by irishgeo



You could just say your an technician or consultant checking the security of the network from outside!

RANT - If someone entered your house because the windows was open they are still a scumbag.. /RANT

Jaden

Captain - May I offer a different, and more accurate analogy.

If someone is watching television, and has their curtains open, so that it can be seen from the street, and you are passing by, is glancing at the TV screen theft?

War driving or chalking does not infer by default, the intention to use a network, merely to indentify it as unsecured. It is a small, but very important point.

irishgeo

Originally posted by Capt'n Midnight
RANT - If someone entered your house because the windows was open they are still a scumbag.. /RANT

I was only joking.

Sure its theft but its harmless.

I mean you you actually physically hurting. Plus you might be helping the sytem admin as he might not know his network is open.

Capt'n Midnight

Originally posted by Jaden
Captain - May I offer a different, and more accurate analogy.

If someone is watching television, and has their curtains open, so that it can be seen from the street, and you are passing by, is glancing at the TV screen theft?

War driving or chalking does not infer by default, the intention to use a network, merely to indentify it as unsecured. It is a small, but very important point.

CHALKING IS MARKING AN OPEN AP - how would you like it if someone went around telling people you had left your windows open ??

- IF YOU CONNECT YOU ARE CLIMBING IN THE WINDOWS - IF THEY ARE NOT ON AN UNCAPPED BROADBAND OPTION (95% aren't) - USING THIER INTERNET CONNECTION IS ALSO FINANCIAL THEFT... - I know someone this was done too - cost him hundreds.. he was not a happy camper..

I have no problem with netstumbler or kismet for detecting, and locating AP's and other sources of RF noise. And if an AP name is broad cast fair enough, and whether it has WEP or not - all public knowledge.

Note: the laws on other forms of eavesdropping here are fairly strict.

PS. Re this bollox about testing security - How many people have reported open AP's sharing internet to the owner - or have they just chalked it up for third parties....

bkehoe

irishgeo, stealing someone elses internet connection IS a crime, and imho not a topic for discussion in this forum. Wardriving is probably ok, as wardriving is simply scanning for aps. If you go any further and connect to them, then you're breaking the law as you've just 'broken' into someone elses network. Think of it this way, you're going down the road, see someones front door wide open, so you decide to head inside for a look, possibly help yourself to the contents of the house... do you think the houses owner is going to be happy that you "pointed out this security vunerability"? I think not.

vibe666

Capt'n, if someone is stupid enough to leave their front door wide open and they get robbed, then sorry, but they'll get no sympathy from me. I'm not saying they deserve to be robbed, far from it, but they won't be getting any sympathy from my end for being so dumb.

And I agree with you about the people that rob people being scum. i've never been robbed myself, but my grandmother was, and if i'd found the scum that robbed her i'd have strung them up (litterally). what made it worse was that she was in the front garden at the time talking to one of them (who she thought was just a 'nice' boy) whiloe the other hopped over her back fence and got all her jewelery which was given to her by my grandfather who's dead. [/life story]

you are very right in your analogy that anopen AP is the same kind of thing and using it is (more or less) the same sort of crime, but anyone who is dumb enough to install one and leave it open is dumb and again will get no sympathy, and tbh doesn't deserve to be in the job they're in.

adnans

why is everyone comparing unsecured wireless access points to an unlocked house waiting to be robbed?

i'd much preffer to see it as dog house with a cute little puppy inside it. you walk by and you see the puppy, just like the andrex one, and you go over and pet the little cute bastard for a while and then you go home happy.

you'd have much more success discussing the merits of warchalking as an art form in the Art/Anim/Photo forum

anyway, warchalking isnt illegal. companies may mark areas that are open for wi-fi access so their employees can connect during breaks. coffee shops may want to warchalk in front of their places of business to let nerds know thats theres coffee and internet access there. things like that.

if you dont know how to do it properly, and think you'll mess up, use the warchalk now tool to see a pdf document of what you need to draw so bandwitdh thiefs can access thesecure information and go to jail and have bum secks with burly men!!!1

adnans

irishgeo

Originally posted by bkehoe
irishgeo, stealing someone elses internet connection IS a crime, and imho not a topic for discussion in this forum. Wardriving is probably ok, as wardriving is simply scanning for aps. If you go any further and connect to them, then you're breaking the law as you've just 'broken' into someone elses network. Think of it this way, you're going down the road, see someones front door wide open, so you decide to head inside for a look, possibly help yourself to the contents of the house... do you think the houses owner is going to be happy that you "pointed out this security vunerability"? I think not.

Point taken bkehoe.

Wouldnt wanna break the boards.ie laws!