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Connect to a stray wireless signal

  • 14-11-2004 10:26am
    #1
    NocturnalDonkey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 89 ✭✭


    I have a wireless enabled laptop.

    I was at home yesterday, and when i booted up my laptop it had the wireless card turned on and it picked up a wireless signal.

    Someone else near by must have a wireless router. I was able to connect to it and browse the internet.

    Would the person who own the wireless router be able to see my connection? How easy would they be able to detect me?


Comments

  • #2
    naitkris
    Closed Accounts Posts: 660 ✭✭✭naitkris


    NocturnalDonkey wrote:
    Would the person who own the wireless router be able to see my connection? How easy would they be able to detect me?

    well the fact that they had no security enabled on the WLAN enabled would tell me that they wouldn't have the knowledge to be able to detect you - at least not as quickly.

    most wireless routers, by default, are open access out of the box by default - i am surprised the person nearby didn't even use MAC filtering, hide the SSID (this is what broadcasts the wireless network name out - disabling it means you must know the wireless network name to manually connect) or of course set encryption and access codes which is the ideal solution...

    on almost all wireless routers one can view the status of the WLAN - who is connected, what IP address is assigned to them, their MAC address (physical wireless card address - a fixed address assigned by card maker), time connected, time logged on, bandwidth uploaded, downloaded etc. etc.

    i'd personally try and find out which house nearby has the WLAN network that is open and tell them about it so they can get it patched up and secured a.s.a.p. - to do this bring your laptop outside and either use the bars in signal strength on your wireless connection status (or even better - a program called NetStumbler) and walk around outside with the laptop and basically just walk in the direction where the wireless strength of this unsecured WLAN is strongest and then ring the door bell, lol...


  • #3
    vibe666
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,016 ✭✭✭✭vibe666


    naitkris wrote:
    (or even better - a program called NetStumbler) and walk around outside with the laptop and basically just walk in the direction where the wireless strength of this unsecured WLAN is strongest and then ring the door bell, lol...
    good plan if you ask me. He might even thank you for it.

    but tbh, if someone has a wlan set up and they aren't smart enough to know how to protect it from even the most casual of wifi users (i.e. you) then they will almost certainly not have a clue you are using their connection. unless they happen to turn all their wlan equipment off and sit there looking at the activity lights on the router and notice traffic.

    in the absense of a post by the capt'n I'll say this. whoever they are if they have a conneciton in ireland then they are paying for it by the amount of bandwidth they are using. this means that you are costing them money by using their connection.

    that said if you have no moral qualms about this there is no way for him to find out wh you are even if he does discover you using his connection. the only identifiable thing you have is your MAC address and good luck finding anything out about you from that.

    I'd say even law enforcement people would have trouble finding info out about you from that even if they wanted to, and from what you've been doing they wouldn't even entertain the idea of wasting resources finding out.

    that said, maybe the connection is open for a reason. maybe he's a hacker phishing for people like you to come and use his connection and give out your credit card details so he can steal your identity and all your cash. it's a two way street after all. ;)


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