Readers offer opinions on Wi-Fi theft

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: JOANIE WEXLER ON WIRELESS IN THE
ENTERPRISE
08/01/05
Today's focus: Readers offer opinions on Wi-Fi theft

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* The 'Case of the Wi-Fi Bandit'
* Links related to Wireless in the Enterprise
* Featured reader resource
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Today's focus: Readers offer opinions on Wi-Fi theft

By Joanie Wexler

The "Case of the Wi-Fi Bandit" in Florida, discussed in the July
20 issue of this newsletter
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwir4089>, would be fascinating
for a moot court to tackle. It's a first-of-its-kind case with
plenty of grey areas. And readers of this newsletter, at least,
have many and varied opinions.

To recap, a fellow in an SUV was arrested on third-degree felony
charges for tapping into a residential wireless LAN. As yet,
it's not clear exactly what the alleged thief's intent or
activities were. The charge is "unauthorized access to a
computer network" and carries a potential sentence of up to five
years in prison.

I maintain that an association with an access point across
unlicensed airwaves by itself isn't a crime. These airwaves are
owned by the government, not the homeowner, and made freely
available to anyone using certified equipment. In this case, an
unsecured signal seeped off the 802.11 equipment-owner's
property and into the accused's property (his SUV).

However, from there, prosecution for theft of private
information, copyrighted content or even unauthorized use of the
ISP network is on the table, in my opinion. That's why I enjoyed
hearing from Craig, who notes that it can be difficult to
distinguish between a residential homeowner's access point and
one intended for public use. Says Craig:

"So this particular case seems to come down to intent. Was it
the intent of the person in the van to get free Internet (or
worse) from a private resource or did he just stumble on a hot
spot?"

Several readers also pointed out that the masses aren't
physicists. Many wireless aficionados in chat rooms seem to feel
people who don't secure their networks "deserve" to be intruded
upon. But Randi, who helped educate her neighbor on wireless
security, notes:

"Most consumers know nothing about 802.11 and think RF cannot
reach neighbors' homes...So the lawmakers need to get educated,
as do the consumers (and salesmen)."

Adds Kristy: "Wireless is going crazy in the residential sector
and it won't take long for someone to really exploit it....The
main players in consumer wireless (Netgear, D-Link,
LinkSys/Cisco) should automatically put some kind of encryption
on their APs and routers [rather than leaving networks open by
default]. We're going to see more of these stories and the FCC
better step up to the plate and define what is and isn't
acceptable for RF."

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. Furor over Cisco IOS router exploit erupts at Black Hat
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwir4090>

2. Cisco, ISS, Michael Lynn and Black Hat sign legal accord
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwir4091>

3. Researcher at center of Cisco router-exploit controversy
speaks out <http://www.networkworld.com/nlwir4092>

4. 2005 Salary Survey <http://www.networkworld.com/nlwir3867>

5. Cisco nixes conference session on hacking IOS router code
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwir4093>
_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Joanie Wexler

Joanie Wexler is an independent networking technology
writer/editor in California's Silicon Valley who has spent most
of her career analyzing trends and news in the computer
networking industry. She welcomes your comments on the articles
published in this newsletter, as well as your ideas for future
article topics. Reach her at <mailto:joanie@jwexler.com>.
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Nokia
Small Change Big Impact: The Benefits of a Basic IT Mobility
Strategy

Work in companies both large and small is becoming more mobile,
and spending on IT mobility is growing. However most businesses
do not have a clear IT mobility strategy, as it is often
perceived as a big and expensive change to implement. Yet a
series of small changes can create significant improvements for
mobile workers - and brought together as a basic yet cohesive
mobility strategy, can have a big impact on business
performance. Learn more today!
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=108965
_______________________________________________________________
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FEATURED READER RESOURCE
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up your paycheck. Click here:
<http://www.networkworld.com/you/2005/072505-salary-side2.html>
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