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freeloader on home network

M

MrMaster

Golden Member
I've left my wireless network open for years. Figured if someone wants to use it for a short time then so be it. I didn't expect my new neighbor who just moved in to start leeching off of it.

Yes, I do know how to lock it down but now that i have this person freeloading what can I do to find more info out? MSHOME shows in the network neighbothood but no computer. I tried going to his c drive through the c prompt and that didn't work. plus no printers that I can tell.

I'll have 18 hours of packets cpatured when I get home but never really messed with a packet sniffer.

Anyone want to help me out here on how to find more info? yes, I will be locking down the network once i am done playing with this freeloader.

 
I also run my AP wide open. If you know who it is for sure you should talk to him about it. Tell him its your AP and see what is situation is. You can always segment off the AP in a dmz and do ip/mac based bandwidth limiting so people can still use it.
 
Well, due to the brick building I live in it can only be the new neighbor. Plus I kicked him off about an hour ago from the dhcp tables and it still renewed.
 
Well it depends on who it is, If you are 100% sure it is your new neighbor bake some cookies or something and go knock on the door. Strike up a conversation it is possible he has a wireless network but is using yours in error. The other option I like is to change your SSID to something that shows who you are(address/name/phone#).
 
he obviously knows the connection is a neighbors, so how does pinpointing it to what neighbor do any good?
block his mac
 
You're putting too much effort into something that will net zero results. Lock your network down and look for some type of reaction.
 
Some people consider the open wireless to be like the old TV airwaves. Free to use to whoever wants to. Just lock it down and be done with it.
 
The fun will begin when the MPAA starts sending the legal notices about all the music/movies & such that your neighbor (which looks like you) is serving.

Maybe he's surfing some kiddie porn sites too ... but it looks like you are, and you'll be the one that's arrested.

You, and you alone, are responsible for the trafic on your network. You will take the fall for any illegal activity on your network, whether you do it or if it's someone else that's "borrowing" your bandwidth.

Remember "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished"

Good Luck, Happy New Year.

Scott
 
Originally posted by: ScottMac
The fun will begin when the MPAA starts sending the legal notices about all the music/movies & such that your neighbor (which looks like you) is serving.

Maybe he's surfing some kiddie porn sites too ... but it looks like you are, and you'll be the one that's arrested.

You, and you alone, are responsible for the trafic on your network. You will take the fall for any illegal activity on your network, whether you do it or if it's someone else that's "borrowing" your bandwidth.

Remember "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished"

Good Luck, Happy New Year.

Scott
Click to expand...

Although you would be served the paperwork you would not be the one responsible. Just like living your door unlocked doesn't mean it is fair game to walk in and take everything. I agree it would be a royal pain and it to my knowledge has not gone before a judge.
 
Originally posted by: w0ss
Originally posted by: ScottMac
The fun will begin when the MPAA starts sending the legal notices about all the music/movies & such that your neighbor (which looks like you) is serving.

Maybe he's surfing some kiddie porn sites too ... but it looks like you are, and you'll be the one that's arrested.

You, and you alone, are responsible for the trafic on your network. You will take the fall for any illegal activity on your network, whether you do it or if it's someone else that's "borrowing" your bandwidth.

Remember "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished"

Good Luck, Happy New Year.

Scott
Click to expand...

Although you would be served the paperwork you would not be the one responsible. Just like living your door unlocked doesn't mean it is fair game to walk in and take everything. I agree it would be a royal pain and it to my knowledge has not gone before a judge.
Click to expand...

Just pray the judge doesn't want to make an example of you...
 
This has already been tested in court, and the precedent has been set.

You are responsible for your network. If someone does something illegal via your network, you are (at the least) partially responsible in the eyes of the law.

People have been held criminally and civilly liable for activity through their networks (barring that you have taken every reasonable step to protect your network from intruders).

If you leave your door unlocked and someone walk in and uses your telephone to make a bomb threat, you are (at least) subject to investigation, and possibly open to being an accomplice (can you prove that you didn't know the person that made the call? that you didn't give them permission? It's your word versus theirs ... prove it).

Given the hypothetical that the neighbor uses your connection to participate in some kiddie porn site and / or activities (chat rooms, for example):

The connection is made from your network, it (probably) goes through a firewall with NAT, so all addresses on your LAN appear from a single WAN address. All activity appears to come from you running on your network.

When they come knocking on your door, expect that they will (at the least) confiscate your computer(s) and related networking equipment for investigation. Even if you finger your neighbor (and maybe they'll come get their stuff too), you've lost your stuff for "quite a while" until you're criminally cleared, or the case has gone to trial and the evidence is no longer needed.

Add to that that anything they find on your system(s), whether it's specific to the original charge or not, can be used to build other charges (pirated software, music, movies, maybe your own collection of porn) and becomes part of the public record (opening you to other possible civil action).

Sure enough, this is "worse case;" but without knowing who's doing what through your connection, you're opening yourself to all sorts of negative stuff. As far as the other Internet entities, it's you who are in violation and you who will suffer for it.

Bad people look for open connections so they can do bad things without compromising their connections or to break a traceback ... like stealing a car to rob a bank instead of using the family ride.

Leaving your connection open can only lead to bad things for you. Noone at the consumer level is going to win any awards for providing open bandwidth.

Make the sponges pay their own way.

FWIW

Scott
 
If you are not actively or knowingly contributing to the dissemination of kiddie porn, you will not be convicted. Of course, it would be one heck of a hassle having all of your computer gear siezed by the cops and gone over with a fine-toothed comb.
 
Originally posted by: Kibbo86
If you are not actively or knowingly contributing to the dissemination of kiddie porn, you will not be convicted. Of course, it would be one heck of a hassle having all of your computer gear siezed by the cops and gone over with a fine-toothed comb.
Click to expand...

Not to mention, by the time you get your gear back, it'll be worth like a 386 is today.
 
Basically MrMaster I don't think anyone want to tell you how to hack this guy, while you may believe you should be able to it's still illegal to tresspass on someone elses computer. Ban his MAC address and be done with it.
 
Don't forget what your employer, friends, family, etc. will all think if you're arrested for kiddie porn, even if you're cleared -- it'd be slime on your record for the rest of your life.

Just secure your network.
 
As already mentioned, lock down your network.

You don't have the legal power or backing or logging to exempt yourself as you are not a carrier but an end node. It is up to you to secure your network.

Be duly aware that your provider does log every connection and can/will turn over those records if inquired.
 
problem with leaving your network open, when the neighbor does something illegal, it is YOUR IP address that brings the law down on you, not the leach. Yea perhaps after 10K worth of lawyer fees you might have charges dropped, and you might even get your PC's back, but they will certainly be trashed. Of course if you have any porn or music you have downloaded, well you figure it out......
 
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