Interesting experiement with my laptop and unsecure wireless networks.

Dead3ye

Platinum Member
Sep 21, 2000
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My job requires me to go to different cities and towns all the time. We're talking populations between 20,000 to 60,000, some with universities.

Usually at any given point when I'm stopped to do a task, I search for unsecure wireless networks. It is unbelieveable how many I can find, sometime as many a 6 at a shot, and it's usually worse if it has a college in it. I would say for every secure network, I find 5 that are not. Some of them don't even have their routers password protected, you know, Admin, Admin. :confused:

I don't ever do anything malicious when I find one. I just check to see how many I can find.

Why would you not have your wireless secured? I'm amazed and confused.
 

dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
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Originally posted by: Dead3ye
Why would you not have your wireless secured?
They are supposed to be plug-and-play. People plug them in, they work, and they are happy. It is the wireless designer's fault for making it unsecure by default - not the users.
 

Specop 007

Diamond Member
Jan 31, 2005
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Thats why I keep a .44 by the bed.
MY wireless network is secure as hell, no one is stealing it from me. Just go ahead and try to come in and use it.......
 

wetcat007

Diamond Member
Nov 5, 2002
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Originally posted by: Dead3ye
My job requires me to go to different cities and towns all the time. We're talking populations between 20,000 to 60,000, some with universities.

Usually at any given point when I'm stopped to do a task, I search for unsecure wireless networks. It is unbelieveable how many I can find, sometime as many a 6 at a shot, and it's usually worse if it has a college in it. I would say for every secure network, I find 5 that are not. Some of them don't even have their routers password protected, you know, Admin, Admin. :confused:

I don't ever do anything malicious when I find one. I just check to see how many I can find.

Why would you not have your wireless secured? I'm amazed and confused.

Ignorance, people don't relize they need to do anything more than plug it in and or don't want to take the time to set it up or pay someone to do it.
 

ZoomStop

Senior member
Oct 10, 2005
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I secure my systems in regards to drive sharing, but for the internet I pipe it out for anyone to use.
That way if the RIAA/MPAA ever come knocking I have reasonable doubt ;)
Then again I may just be an idiot.
 

Dead3ye

Platinum Member
Sep 21, 2000
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Originally posted by: Trippin315
Originally posted by: FoBoT
they don't know how
they don't care
they don't know it is "bad"
all of the above


take your pick
why mine is not secured.

What if somebody was using your connection for something illegal (ie. child porn)? They're going to knock on your door, not their's.
 

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
62,283
18,164
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Originally posted by: DaiShan
Please don't confuse WEP with securing a Wi-Fi network.

What do you consider securing it? MAC filtering in addition to WEP?
There's three wireless networks visible from my house, mine, "NETGEAR," and "Lizzy." Guess which one is completely open and still has the default admin password on the router?
 

FoBoT

No Lifer
Apr 30, 2001
63,084
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fobot.com
he means WEP can be decoded on the fly
you have to use WPA or higher means to get any worthwhile protection


unless you only live near cows. cows cannot yet decode WEP
 

antyler

Golden Member
Aug 7, 2005
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People dont realize that others can access their network, or they simply dont care.
 

Dead3ye

Platinum Member
Sep 21, 2000
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Originally posted by: nakedfrog
Originally posted by: DaiShan
Please don't confuse WEP with securing a Wi-Fi network.

What do you consider securing it? MAC filtering in addition to WEP?
There's three wireless networks visible from my house, mine, "NETGEAR," and "Lizzy." Guess which one is completely open and still has the default admin password on the router?

Yours? ;)
 
Feb 19, 2001
20,155
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Originally posted by: FoBoT
he means WEP can be decoded on the fly
you have to use WPA or higher means to get any worthwhile protection


unless you only live near cows. cows cannot yet decode WEP

WEP is not too hard to decode. WPA can be decoded too but if you use TSIK, you're onto a new key already by the time someone has you decoded.

WEP is considered secure. Most people wo uldn't sit there for hours trying to sniff out your key.

I live in an apartment building and all but 1 networks are secure. That makes about ~10 or so.

However I usually take my chances going to friends' apartments. I can almost always find 1 thats not secured.
 

cessna152

Golden Member
Feb 10, 2002
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Honeypots? ;)

I've run a second wireless router unsecure before. Its fun to get people to associate with it and then root around their system :). Remember, its not a one way street. Do you have shared folders enabled? Remote Desktop? etc?

You can also sniff their traffic and see what they're doing.
 

Riverhound777

Diamond Member
Aug 13, 2003
3,360
61
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Mine isn't secure because I dont care. Another is that with WPA on I keep getting disconnected. I might turn on MAC filtering if i get bored. My reception is also pretty crappy, I have trouble connecting from 20 feet, good luck connecting from my street.
 

Skeeedunt

Platinum Member
Oct 7, 2005
2,777
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Originally posted by: Specop 007
Thats why I keep a .44 by the bed.
MY wireless network is secure as hell, no one is stealing it from me. Just go ahead and try to come in and use it.......

People come in and sit on your bed and try to hack your wireless network? And then you shoot them? You lead a wild life dude.
 

imported_Trippin315

Golden Member
Nov 23, 2004
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Originally posted by: Dead3ye
Originally posted by: Trippin315
Originally posted by: FoBoT
they don't know how
they don't care
they don't know it is "bad"
all of the above


take your pick
why mine is not secured.

What if somebody was using your connection for something illegal (ie. child porn)? They're going to knock on your door, not their's.
The worst thing they anyone would find is a picture or two of Keira Knightly in a compromising position. (my wallpaper)

 

randalee

Senior member
Nov 7, 2001
683
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No we're not talking HOURS sniffing for a key. The key isn't transmitted. :) Fire up Ethereal and listen to a wireless conversation between an AP and a node. You must know the brand of wifi AP, etc., but that can usually be determined with NetStumbler or Air Snort.

Anyhow, take ONE single packet from the encrypted conversation. Flip one bit of the conversation with a hex editor. ONE BIT -- ie change a 0A to an A0 or whatever you want. Transmit that packet to the AP, and it comes back with a standard error message. (One which you have researched and found out on the web.) However, this error message is encrypted using the WEP KEY.

Well guess what? You know how the error message would read in plain text. You now have an encrypted version of this error message. All it takes is letting your CPU pound at it for a little bit to figure out the key.

15-20 minutes on a standard PC is usually enough CPU time to decode the key.
 

Specop 007

Diamond Member
Jan 31, 2005
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Originally posted by: Skeeedunt
Originally posted by: Specop 007
Thats why I keep a .44 by the bed.
MY wireless network is secure as hell, no one is stealing it from me. Just go ahead and try to come in and use it.......

People come in and sit on your bed and try to hack your wireless network? And then you shoot them? You lead a wild life dude.

I actually just end up chasing them out of the house nekkid. I dont really like shooting guns in the house, and most would be wifi hackers flee in terror at the sight of a tall skinny nekkid guy screaming like a Viking warrior chasing after then with a .44 mag.

Its a crazy life dude. Crazy life.
 

S Freud

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2005
4,755
1
81
In our house the wireless isn't secure becuase its a shared house with new people every year, sometimes new people every term. Its just easeir to keep it unsecure, besides its not in my name so what do I care. :)