Intruder in my wireless network? / intrusion detection programs

You are confusing the issues here. I have no desire to run Linux even if I could. Ok, I can fumble my way around.

My needs are for wireless network tools, no further. I'm a Windows person, have been since Windows 1.0 and the applications which I use are Windows. I have no need from a financial point of view or a time point of view to waste my time learning another OS and finding apps just because they're "free".

It's only free if your time has no value, mine does.

So please, don't confuse the issues.

David.

So what if one of us said "Hey, i've just cracked my neighbours key" would you take that as evidence?

No because you want to see it as a news URL where someone has been prosecuted. So how about I crack my neighbours key, then phone the local Computer Crime Unit and report myself for actions breaching the Computer Misuse Act or possibly the Telephony Act or similar.

Wait a minute, I can't do this because to self incriminate would be in breach of Article 6 of the Human Rights Act and in giving myself up, I would be committing a crime.

and you want me to do this just to prove a point?!

Err no! :)

David.

• ISO burning software is free. It can also be easily pirated.

• Cookbook recipes for WEP cracking require no knowledge of Linux.

It's clearly pointless to respond further -- Rico has his mind made up, and I for one don't care if he gets hacked or not. My only concern is for those that might be misled and harmed by his bad advice if left unrebutted, and I think we've now done all that needs to be done in that context, so I'm personally giving him the last word.

I suggested nothing of the kind. I merely pointed out that I had first hand knowledge, which you apparently lack, of many of these tools, how readily available they are, how popular they are, and how easy they are to use.

Earlier I noted that I have first hand knowledge of home wireless networks using WEP that have been hacked, and credible reports of others, but you've dismissed that as well. You apparently think I'm making that up, that if it hasn't happened to you or appeared in USA Today, then it's not a real risk. I've pointed out the flaws in that reasoning, but you've dismissed that too.

Thus it seems pretty clear to me that your mind is so made up that you are right and the security community is wrong that nothing is likely to change it. Since my main concern was to better inform others that might be misled and harmed by your advice, and since that's now been (more than) accomplished, further debate is clearly pointless, so I'm done with this. Feel free to have the last word.

Windows isn't sold to the home user. Computers running on Windows are sold to the home user. Subtle but very important difference.

Personally, I don't know a single person who has ever bought Windows and installed it on their machine. Every Windows system I know of came with the machine, or was "borrowed" from someone who got it with the machine. That was easy to do in Win3.x days: every Win3.x machine came with a complete set of install diskettes plus a manual. It was still fairly easy to do with Win2000. It can be done with WinXP, but why bother?

I did get my copy of Win2000 legitimately: I bought a machine with it installed, and eventually moved it to this machine. I'll probably move it one more time. As an OS, it's OK, but it's beginning to show its age, even though with all its patches and updates it's equivalent to XP in all but its pretty face.

HTH

OK, I haven't checked for availability, but most cds are available from companies that do nothing but burn the distro of your choice onto a disc.

As I've told you before, I live way off the beaten track. Those are the computers I, my wife, and three closest neighbors own. That's two University professors, two IT professionals and a Nurse Practitioner. You should have a pretty good shot at figuring which one isn't the geek :-)

Another attempt to throw in a straw man. Linux is not trivial. Of course, neither is Windows. Most users use Windows because that's what they're sold. At least 80% of users would probably be unable to install any OS, be it Windows, Linux or OS X, but even the 20% who could install Linux are unlikely to do so if the applications they want don't run on Linux. The whole point of _this_ thread being that the applications required to crack WEP not only _do_ run on Linux, but have been designed to run without any need to actually understand Linux. How many of the people using WRT54G routers know anything about Linux?

All that aside, what I said _was_ trivial was getting a working Wifi on Linux, without knowing anything about drivers. The key is to purchase your hardware knowing that it is supported. So I bought my laptop with the Intel 2200 instead of either of the Dell-branded wireless options, because I knew it would be plug-and-play (and it has been).

Despite being a died-in-the-wool Linuxer, I did. I've bought at least two copies of Windows (upgrades, of course - I don't actually understand how they ever sell "full" copies, since every computer comes with a version to begin with).

Nobody's worried about the typical guy in Best Buy. The one's to worry about are a very small percentage. But I know at least two people I wouldn't want to see around here with a laptop...

OK, I guess this 'net mediated acquaintance will count as "personal" for statistical purposes.

That's 1. Millions to go... :-)

Count me as 2. A friend of mine as 3.

Windows running on computers, even more subtle ;)

Meet me then, I've bought Windows in OEM form in the past and installed it. :)

If the copy that you bought was an OEM then the point of the OEM license is that it lives and dies with the machine such that if you migrate to another machine, then the original license has died and unless the original was a full copy, you're now running illegaly.

Just in case you weren't aware of that.

David.

Pretty much they don't. Even in the commercial environment you buy OEM and then an upgrade license if you want to move to a volume licensing model. For home, you're correct, pretty much every pre-built PC you buy comes with OEM but that dies with the machine, if you sell it, the license should go with it. Only by purchasing an "upgrade" do you have what is construed as a full version that you may then legally transfer to another PC.

David.

which of course is one of the reasons why Windows is s**te and should be dumped in favour of a free OS of your favourite flavour

You snipped the whole lot, what's the reason that Windows is s**te in your words? because you have to pay for it?

If anything that you have to pay for makes it automatically s**te then you're world must be pretty full of it! :)

David.

I presume you referring to SLP (system locked preinstalls), which applies only to major OEMs (e.g., Dell). My understanding is that you can in fact keep the license when selling the machine if you completely wipe the OS from the machine; use the license key provided with the system; and activate over the phone.

Unfortunately, that free OS doesn't do a good job of running my essential applications.

I presume you referring to SLP (system locked preinstalls), which applies only to major OEMs (e.g., Dell). My understanding is that you can in fact keep the license when selling the machine if you completely wipe the OS from the machine; use the license key provided with the system; and activate over the phone.