Wi-Fi: When Is Enough, Enough?
 | by Douglas on January 23rd, 2008 |
Is it common courtesy to offer free Wi-Fi to your houseguests or to your neighbors? Well, perhaps guests, yes. It is almost the same as offering hot water for a shower or coffee in the morning. Call it cyber-polite. But what about offering free Wi-Fi to the people sitting in the car on the corner tapping right into your network? That is theft, no? They probably aren’t planning on leaving a donation on your doorstep to help offset that months Internet bill.
Well, I recently read an article in Wired where a network security professional deliberately left his wireless network open. This means anyone within range of his wireless network could easily connect. There is no password required nor is encryption enabled. The article takes an in depth look at the security protocol of wireless networks and just how safe open lines are.
Because of the aforementioned article I have thought of some other questions that beg to be answered.
- Can You Have Both Open and Secure Wireless Networks?
Ninety-nine percent of home class wireless routers/access points don’t support multiple BSSID/SSID wireless networks. This means your wireless network is either Open or Secured, but not both.
- What are some solutions?
In my experience solutions are rather easy to come by. In fact, anyone can purchase “business class” networking equipment in order to have two or more wireless networks (one open the other secured). If that isn’t what you prefer you can always upgrade the firmware on your Linksys, Dlink, NetGear etc. to a 3rd party firmware that supports multiple BSSID/SSID networks.
Whatever the case, the reality is still that 54% of computer users (560 people surveyed) admit to using someone else’s Wi-Fi without permission. Are you guilty? If so, did you know that depending on the country and/or state that you live in there are laws regarding the use of other people’s wireless networks without permission.
If you connect to someone else’s open Wi-Fi router and start using that broadband Internet service you are: a) guilty of stealing from the service provider; b) committing an unethical act; c) really cheap; d) not guilty; or e) all of the above. The correct answer is wide open to debate. But the range of possible answers - and there are plenty more, I’m sure - is indicative of the variety of passionately held opinions and legal murk on this question. Whether you run the network or you are borrowing the network the only real solution is for you to decide for yourself when enough is enough.
January 23rd, 2008 at 3:32 pm
[…] UPDATE: The first Certified MinuteFix Technician has stepped up and taken the challenge. Douglas Wong from Canada weighed in with a bit about wireless security. Read more here. […]
January 24th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Very helful information. It’s about time something good like this is available to the non savay IT users. Thanks for all the info it’s great stuff!
January 24th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
As far as I figure, it is like having a drinking fountain in front of your house. Or a sidewalk, for that matter: you use what is at hand, and don’t make an ass of yourself, and you return the courtesy.
*shrug*
-danny
February 6th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
Excellent read,
I myself turn off SSID broadcast, enabled wireless mac filtering to permit only specified macs, and encrypt with WPA2. Plus I also am an avid supporter of 3rd party firmware, at least for the Linksys WRT54g/gs, as I use DD-WRT’s mini linus IOS firmware replacement for Linksys’ default firmware.
2 kudos for the Article Doug.