A Federal appeals court upheld the 9 year sentence for Brian Salcedo for his role in the wireless intrusion and attempted credit card theft at a Michigan Lowes hardware. The sentence is the longest ever handed down for a computer crime. Some question the harshness of the sentence given that other credit card fraud schemes only got 24-32 month sentences.
Via [wired.com]
Tag Archive for 'Wardriving'
Drivers are the next playground for WiFi attackers. Improperly written drivers can fail in spectacular ways. 2 researchers are planning on showing off the results of thier use of the tool ‘lorcon’ at Blackhat USA to sieve control of wireless hosts through this new technique.
Via [news.zdnet.co.uk]
Wardriving may be a thing of the past once WiFi access points are scattered throughout the country and Internet access is free to all, but until then, moochers beware. A man was arrested in Vancouver, WA, after periodically parking in front of a coffee shop over a three-month period to use the shop’s WAP (without entering or making a purchase). Rather than being charged with unauthorized use of a computer network, the 20-year-old, a convicted sex offender, was charged with theft of services. An Illinois man was fined $250 earlier this year for remotely accessing another computer system without permission, and a Florida man was convicted for a similar offense in 2005. For now, perhaps it’s best to buy your own access.
Via [arstechnica.com]
Kismet, like Netstumbler, is one of the defacto wardriving and wireless troubleshooting apps available for free to the public. Kismet, unlike Netstumbler has a number of features that make it a much more useful tool for network discovery and reconnisence. If you have not tried Kismet, you really should. It’s a great tool to have at your disposal if your doing anything with wireless networks.
Via [wi-fiplanet.com]
With all the press lately about people abusing others open WiFi AP’s, you think security is getting better. Well it’s not. Police are still playing catch up and the law is still pretty vague. Given the consiquences of someone abusing your AP, it’s as good an idea as ever to lock it down securly.
Via [pcworld.ca]
An Illinois man was fined $250 for accessing a wireless network that was not his own. While there have been other convictions fire theft of services, this is the first citation with a fine on record. While a fine for just ‘freeloading’ on a network makes more sense than jail time, it is very hard for law enforcement to know exactly what’s going on. That guy with the laptop in the parked car might be using an 3g modem instead of WiFi and be completely legal.
Via [arstechnica.com]
Wireless networking has become the dominant way in which home users network their computers. WiFi is fast, fairly easy to set up and relatively inexpensive.
Via [chron.com]
Security firm WhiteHat has found that out of 751 wireless networks discovered in Sydney’s central business district, 75 percent were unencrypted.
Via [zdnet.com.au]
“The signs didn’t work well even in the U.K. where more people take public transportation and walk than in the United States,” noted Ira Brodsky, president of wireless market research firm Datacomm Research Co. “U.S. cities are more spread out, so it can be hard for users to spot small signs.”
Via [technewsworld.com]
A man who allegedly accessed a home Wi-Fi network in St. Petersburg, Florida, from a parked car got logged off the hard way: He was arrested and charged with a felony.
Via [pcworld.com]
Students at the University of Advancing Technology (UAT) will have the opportunity to earn valuable training in wireless security in a wardriving research project that encompasses the greater Phoenix metropolitan region.
Security-minded US decorators’ supply outfit Force Field Wireless claims to have developed a DIY solution to the international menace of marauding geek wardrivers - DefendAir paint “laced with copper and aluminum fibers that form an electromagnetic shield, blocking most radio waves and protecting wireless networks”.
Via [theregister.co.uk]
A second man has been convicted in the trial that saw a 21-year-old sentenced to the longest ever prison term for a hacking conviction.
Via [management.silicon.com]
One of three Michigan men who hacked into the national computer system of Lowe’s hardware stores and tried to steal customers’ credit card information was sentenced Wednesday to nine years in federal prison.
Via [freep.com]
Thank You Superhacker, You Saved My Computer
You can actually be setting yourself up for identity theft. A recent report entitled Internet Safety: The State of the Nation found that one in five, or 21%, of British households that use wireless broadband connections do not have password protection. These open portals leave users open to fraud, identity theft or worse. To combat this, in comes the ethical hackers. They’re a roving band of virtual vigilantes who are cruising neighborhoods and telling individuals that they are vulnerable. Some of them are even fixing the problem and showing people how to better protect their assets. But don’t wait for a hacker to hit your house, update your internet security immediately and protect yourself from identity theft.
Via [technology.timesonline.co.uk]