Clicky

On Albumista: We Are the World - Part Two

We will match your Haiti SMS donations - and even donate on your behalf!

With the help of some of our friends, Gear Live will match your Haiti relief SMS donations multiple times. Currently, we will donate $150 for every $10 that our readers donate, up to $12,700! In fact, we will even donate on your behalf if you ask us to. Check out all the details, and let’s band together to help a country in need.

Latest Video: Bleeding Edge TV 337: Sony Bloggie HD camcorders

We catch up with Sony to learn about their new line of Bloggie HD camcorders at the CES 2010 It Won't Stay in Vegas blogger party!
Play Video
Close Player   Episode Permalink Comment on this Video Subscribe to this show via iTunes, Miro, or RSS Download for: iPod High Definition
Monday August 22, 2005 9:17 am

Wardriving: Curiousity Is Now a Class Three Felony

Share

Posted by Kristin Wenzel Categories: Internet, Wireless / WiFi

Wardriving has become a favorite pastime for many, myself included.  Most wardrivers, again including myself, are not out to steal people’s identities, infect someone’s computer with spyware or pass along a virus.  Nor do they really have any desire to delve into the personal files and programs or track their behavior.  Most of the time, the interest is in finding a network connection, not exploiting it for any criminal reason.  In other words, plain and simple curiosity —
“Hey, I wonder if there’s wireless here?  No?  Well, what about here? Sweet!”

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Police have charged a Florida man with a third-degree felony charge, after he was arrested for accessing a St. Petersburg resident’s wireless Internet network without permission.

Curiosity, apparently, is now a class three felony.


Read More | CNN.com



  • Related Tags:

Advertisement

Comments:

he accessed the network, not sniffed it out.
what’s the point here?

Your “argument” is sophistic, at best.  Yes, some people are less than bright for having an unsecured personal network.  Yes, it’s easy for you access.  But just because you can do something, that doesn’t mean you should do it.  It would be quite easy for you to open a random homeowner’s back gate and walk around in their yard.  But it’s still trespassing, and it’s still wrong.  It’s privately-owned property, just as the network entity is privately-owned property.

If you’re so bored that looking for network hotspots is high entertainment for you, I’m sure we can find a more constructive use of your time.

I didn’t realize I was making a philosophical argument - I thought I was trying to share an interesting, possibly relevant, article about a guy who got arrested for something ofo questionable legal status.

My bad.

I think that another point is that there is a difference between what you do and what a malicious hacker would do with the information - however, just because you aren’t going to do something malicious doesn’t mean that there isn’t someone else out there who would.  I think its an interesting arguement though. I saw this demo at www.lucidlink - and it shows exactly what the hacker sees.  Its honestly a little concerning when you see how easy it is - it definitely made me think twice.

No I thought the Airways in the US are free and could only be regulated by the FCC.

Yes browsing there computer may be a crime, but access the internet through their “wide open” AP should not be a crime any more the walking the side walk in front of their house.

Ok, stop right there, yes the network is controled by the brodband supplier, but I can let any one use my phone if I want, and I have an all you can eat plan so it wont cost more.

I really dont see the big deal, I have my AP wide open, but my computers locked up, if I dont want some one to use my bandwith I can block it.

Lets get real, this law is eather to protect people to dumb to protect themselfs or to force every one on a pay service.

And then Again I might be wrong
ErstO out

Man, St. Pete is full of crazy freaks and old geezers!

Actually the title of your article is incorrect to say the least.  First off let me define what wardriving is and isn’t: 

WarDriving is:
The searching for wireless networks by means of a roaming (driving, walking, busing) wireless client. Sometimes accompanied by a high gain antenna and GPS.

WarDriving is NOT
WarDriving is NOT illegal or unlawful in any form or fashion in the United States.
WarDriving is NOT about theft of services.
WarDriving is NOT about unauthorized access.

What this fellow in St Pete’s did was NOT wardriving by any means.  What he did when he connected to the access point was something illegal and highly frowned upown by the wardriving community.  I for one am outraged that wardrivers are lumped in and used as scapegoats for people who break the law.

Yeah this case you described isn’t actually war driving, but rather piggybacking. Piggybacking involves connecting to someone’s wireless and using it without their permission.

“What he did when he connected to the access point was something illegal…”

Not necessarily, though some places do have laws against, it other jurisdictions may not. Piggybacking is more of a gray-area topic in most places rather than being black and white legal or illegal.


Comments: Page 1 of 1 pages

Advertisement

Post a Comment:







Smileys

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?



Advertisement