Wardriving Wardriving The Bungalow Mystery Category="Computer security"Category="Wireless communications"[image] Wardriving is searching for Wi-Fi wireless networks by Automobile. It involves using a car and a Wi-Fi-equipped computer, such as a Laptop or a PDA, to detect the networks. It is also known (as of 2002) as "WiLDing" (Wireless Lan Driving), originating in the San Francisco Bay Area with the Bay Area Wireless Users Group (BAWUG). It is similar to using a scanner for Radio.

Many wardrivers use GPS devices to measure the location of the network find and log it on a Website. For better range, antennas are built or bought, and vary from omnidirectional to highly directional. Software for wardriving is freely available on the Internet, notably, NetStumbler for Windows, KisMAC for Macintosh, and Kismet for Linux.

Wardriving was named after wardialing because it also involves searching for accessible computer systems.

The average wardriver is typically only out to log and collect information from the wireless access points (WAPs) they find while driving.

The legality of wardriving in the United States is not clearly defined. There has never been any conviction for wardriving, and there is the untested argument that the 802.11 and DHCP protocols operate on behalf of the owner giving consent to use the network, but not if the user has other reason to know that there is no consent. A New Hampshire bill which would clarify that the duty to secure the wireless network lies with the network owner did not pass yet, due to concerns that it may create a loophole for criminal activity. The specific laws, in any case, vary from state to state.

The law differs in other countries. For example, a wardriver in the United Kingdom might be caught with the "use of a computer for a purpose for which one does not have permission" clause. This is a commonly misunderstood concept. Wardrivers do not, in fact, usually use services without authorization and may not even transmit a signal at all.

Ethical considerations

Wardriving is frequently cited as an example of a questionable activity. However, from a technical viewpoint, everything is working as designed: Access points broadcast identifying data accessible to anyone with a suitable receiver by necessity.

In cases of listen-only software, such as Kismet, wardriving can be likened to listening to a radio station that happens to be broadcasting in your area. But again, this may differ in other countries. For example, in the UK it is illegal to listen on some radio frequencies or to some transmissions (such as those used by the police or armed forces).

With other types of software, such as NetStumbler, the wardriver sends probes, and the access point responds per design. Most access points, when using default settings, are intended to provide wireless access to all who request it. Some argue that those who set up access points without adding security measures are offering their connection, sometimes unintentionally, to the community. Others argue that this reasoning is akin to stating that people who leave their doors unlocked are asking people to take what they like. In fact, when people unfamiliar to wardriving see how many open access points there are and how easy it is to find them, they sometimes want to secure their own access points. Some wardrivers go to the extent of informing the access point's administrator about their insecurity and offer steps to correct it. However, it has largely become etiquette to leave access points open for others to use just as someone expects to find open access points while on the road. This freely sharing of Bandwidth is also the basis of wireless community networks which are often considered the future of the internet.

Wireless network security

More security-conscious network operators may choose from a variety of security measures to limit access to their wireless network, including:

See also

External links