NEWS: Half of computer users are Wi-Fi thieves

More than half of computer users have illegally stolen Wi-Fi connections, according to The Times - but only 11 alleged offenders have been arrested in the UK, as the police seem to think those deploying Wi-Fi should be more careful about securing their connections.

The data was collected from a "Have Your Say" survey on the website of security-specialist Sophos: apparently 54 per cent of the 560 people who responded admitted nicking bandwidth from insecure Wi-Fi routers.

This might say more about Sophos customers than the general population, and extrapolating the results to every computer user in the country is probably a crime against statistics: so that's exactly what The Times has done.

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Reply to
John Navas
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You can only 'steal' what others don't want to let you share. This fails to consider when someone sets up a wifi access point and deliberately leaves it open with the intention to allow some freeloaders.

Of course then there's all the iPhone thieves.

Reply to
Bill Kearney

But I bet the great majority of open access points go something like this. They go to the big box store and ask the experts for a wireless "thing", bring it home, plug it in and when the laptop works out on the deck success is declared.

Reply to
George

On Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:50:08 -0500, "Bill Kearney" wrote in :

You actually 'steal' when you have no explicit permission to take it.

No way of knowing that unless (a) that's clearly signaled in the SSID or (b) you've actually asked.

The more likely case is that it's been left open by ignorance or accident.

Reply to
John Navas

I believe you are right there George. Most users are ...well...users. That being said, it means that unless the outside person has specifically asked to use their wireless device to access the Internet, that outside person trespasses on private property when they connect to their wireless access point. The second the outside person accesses the Internet through the trespassed wireless access point they are stealing service. (The wireless access point owner is the one that has paid for the Internet connection, therefore it has value. It may be only pennies but it is still theft.)

I for one use WPA. At least that tells the outside person that they are not welcome in my network. If I catch someone on my network, I will triangulate on their location and let them know that they are not welcome on my network. When I see a network up - unlocked - in my neighborhood, I triangulate on it and contact that neighbor and let them know the risk they are taking, and how to solve it. Just a neighborly thing to do.

Reply to
Richard Johnson

Not if it's being forced upon you in your own house. It's more like wifi pollution.

This is very different thing than hacking or war driving, using software / hardware to break encryption keys and passwords, and trying to access networks that are clearly and purposefully secured.

If I go to a park and find a loaf of bread or 5 dollars on a picnic table ... I have no way of knowing if the person who left it - did so on purpose or by mistake ... but my picking it up and taking it is not theft.

Take the same example and say the bread or 5 dollars was found on my front porch. Left at the door steps of my house. I have no way of knowing if the person who left it - did so on purpose or by mistake ... but my finding it on my property, picking it up and taking it is not theft.

Reply to
riggor

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