Piggybacking off an un-encrypted wi-fi installation

[airborne_artist]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/6565079.stm

"Two people have been cautioned for using people's wi-fi broadband internet connections without permission."

[419]

He attracted attention from neighbours in the early morning, as he had put up cardboard around his car windows but the light from his computer could be seen through the back window.

I think he deserves a good smack just for being a tw@t.
Covering the insides of the windows with cardboard. That's a good way to make it stand out.

[Cypherus]

Get this one a lot on housing estates mostly were the locals hitch onto any open network, found a Belkin the other day with nineteen connections in a house with a PC and a single laptop, no wonder the woman was complaining about her connection, anyway a simple security tighten sorted that one and will most others too.

[Superpilot]

She had put up cardboard around her car windows but the light from her computer could be seen through the back window.

The whole story sounds of 'oh my God look, there's some technology we can talk about!' hype.

I would challenge the average cop to prove I was nicking someone's Wi-Fi connection. Unless the woman plain stupidly admitted to it... ;)

I bet the truth is that the driver was cautioned for 'Browning Out' her car windows and the excuse "the sun glare was getting on my tits" just wasn't good enough. Still nothing like a good story hey?

[bri1980]

It can be done by accident. Someone in one of the flats near me has an unprotedted WiFi connection, and my laptop accidentally connected to it even when my router was on: they were in the wrong order in the network listing.

I only discovered this when my anti virus update went at about 1/5th the speed I expected and I then discovered the update had been dragged through someone elses router!

I have since told this person how to protect themselves!

B

[bri1980]

Depends: if your internet is quick one day and feebly slow the next, probably a clue you are playing siamese twins with someone!!

B

[planecrazy.eu]

I heard about this today on Working lunch, its pretty "old" news.

To start with, how to do it is so easy.

-- Either park up and scan using built in windows
-- Buy $30 gizmo that can scan whilst driving and show how many secure and not secure points are around

TO PROTECT yourself is even easier.

-- First make sure you have WEP/WPA enables
-- You can set up an ip range for the no of pcs in the house, or even better, manually set ips so the router doesnt give em out dynamicly
-- You can set most routers to accept specific mac addresses.

TO FIND OUT if some one is using you internet

-- Most routers list who is connected to it, shows there ip and there computer name, and it keeps a log, you can check the log, if you see a name that doesnt match one of your pcs, then it logs the mac address, this is what you can give to the authorities.

Its pretty serious stuff, as most people leave there system on MSHOME or other default workgroup names. And then a fair few dont even have a password to log into windows. I have done this to my partner as a joke to show her how stupid these two errors are, i logged into to her computer from outside and got her bank details stored in my documents. So many people do it, BBC did something about this too, there are even wifi decoders that can tap into the connection and decode info been sent, this was also featured on the BBC.

I think the best solution is to protect yourself, and like a poster did a few ones up, if you do detect an unsecure connection from your computer in the house, go and tell them how to sort it, or you could find people downloading all sorts of nasty stuff using your connection, inc illegal material, software and in cases commiting fraud and scams or using it to send spam.

Oh, and as for doing it, its so simple to prove if your stupid as windows logs what it connects to and the router logs who connects to it, a clever hacker would have something deleting the log on the laptop and delete the log on the router as most people dont even set up a password for the admin on the router.

[oldbeefer]

Planecrazy (or anyone else). My daughter is about to move into a flat in Bath. She connects her laptop through a Netgear wireless router/modem. I'm not very au fait with computers - could you give a bit more 'simple language' help for setting it up securely, or point me to a site which would help me? thanks

[airborne_artist]

Netgear's page on securing wifi (http://kbserver.netgear.com/kb_web_files/n101647.asp).

Does she have the manual. She could read it, perhaps?

[oldbeefer]

Airbourne Artist. Thanks, two probs - she doesn't have a manual (router came off ebay) and she is blonde! I'll make note of the link and sort it out for her when I'm next down that way.

[oldbeefer]

Downloaded the Netgear manual and looked at the section on WEP - clear as mud! Will need to do some more research methinks.

[airborne_artist]

OldBeefer - a blonde you say. I'll hop in the car and pop over to Bath - it's on the way back from my dear old Mum. Perhaps I won't take Mrs AA that day :}

The router will be managed by a browser (what you use to view this site). She will have to access the router's control panel, find the security section, and follow the instructions. Netgear's support is good, and free for life, so she could get them on the phone to talk her through it.

[BOAC]

In case you get there before me or AA:) , this goes in the address bar of her browser to access the setup when the router is running and in range.


http://192.168.0.1 (http://192.168.0.1/)

user name: admin

password: password

If previous owner has changed access details she will need to find and press the reset button to retrurn to these defaults (I'm willing to help with that:ok: )

[oldbeefer]

Thanks guys - blonde and very pretty (but I am biased perhaps!). Yes, I have accessed the router page before to download some stats when her connection was slow. It seems easy enought to turn WEP on, but the manual then starts to get a bit more complicated with talk of 'keys' etc:confused: . Thanks for the tip to call the Netgear help - I'll resort to that if I get stuck - 'twill be a few weeks before she moves in/I go there (no major problem with security at present as she is in the country with no other houses in the immediate vicinity).

[airborne_artist]

Having spent my career in green avoiding being listened to/DFd, the short term solution is to use her wifi connection sparingly, and always to turn it off after use.

Most people leave theirs on all the time, and so they are totally exposed. If she turns it on to use for say 30 mins, and then turns it off again when finished she'll probably be fine for a few days.

[airborne_artist]

Your daughter may find it makes sense to sign up with a broadband provider that supplies a wifi router in the contract.

I recently signed up to an 18 month contract with BT for their mid-range service - 8Gb/month I think. £14.99/month for 6 months, then £23.99.

They gave me a new wifi router with a port for a VoIP line (with standard number) and it came with WEP all set up. All we had to do was unpack and set up (very easy, and fully documented) and then fire up the PCs and enter the encryption key that was printed on the router's label.

[oldbeefer]

Thanks AA, but she has recently signed up to a new ISP; I had previously bought the Netgear to try to improve performance over the previous, appalling ISP 's modem (talktalk). I will pass on your tips re how long to stay connected.

[oldbeefer]

Just got thios from another forum I use:

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/forums/index.cfm?action=showthread&threadid=283651&forumid=1

[spannersatcx]

I have the same router and wireless adapter in a laptop. I did have trouble setting the 'key' on the laptop. The best way I found to get it to work properly was to connect the laptop to the router with an ethernet cable, set the security key when 'wired' together, then once wireless it worked a treat.

[oldbeefer]

Thanks spannersatcx. I'll bear that in mind.

[rotorcraig]

What model of NetGear does she have?

If she's not sure, get her to put 192.168.0.1 into her browser and the login box that appears should tell her - mine says "Enter username and password for NETGEAR DG834G"

If you post the model number we can probably spell out the steps required to secure it.

RC

[oldbeefer]

Sorry about delay - bin away for the weekend. Rotorcraig - I think I have enough info now, thanks. I'll come back for help if I have difficulties when I set it up (twill be a few weeks before she moves and I go down there).