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If you have paltry internet security, you might end up falsely accused of crimes

post #1 of 6
6/19/11 at 8:21am
Thread Starter 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110424/..._wi_fi_warning

okay i'm the first to admit that on the "tech know-how" scale, i, as a not-so-techy person, rank near the bottom of the barrel. but the point of this thread is to bring attention to a legal case where a man who did not protect (i think that's the word) his wireless xyz and then someone used his signal(?)(again, i don't know the right terminologies- that's why i'm saying stuff like xyz and really showing off my low-tech colors here ) to conduct vile criminal activity and then sadly and unfairly, he got the heat instead of the criminal ......so i guess the lesson to be learned is to be as high-tech as possible? if so, this leaves a bad taste in my mouth because i do not bow down at the altar of technology - i refuse to do that.

Quote:
Whether you're guilty or not, "you look like the suspect," said Orin Kerr, a professor at George Washington University Law School, who said that's just one of many reasons to secure home routers.

Experts say the more savvy hackers can go beyond just connecting to the Internet on the host's dime and monitor Internet activity and steal passwords or other sensitive information.

A study released in February provides a sense of how often computer users rely on the generosity — or technological shortcomings — of their neighbors to gain Internet access.

The poll conducted for the Wi-Fi Alliance, the industry group that promotes wireless technology standards, found that among 1,054 Americans age 18 and older, 32 percent acknowledged trying to access a Wi-Fi network that wasn't theirs. An estimated 201 million households worldwide use Wi-Fi networks, according to the alliance
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post #2 of 6
6/19/11 at 8:36am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
The government's Computer Emergency Readiness Team recommends home users make their networks invisible to others by disabling the identifier broadcasting function that allows wireless access points to announce their presence. It also advises users to replace any default network names or passwords, since those are widely known, and to keep an eye on the manufacturer's website for security patches or updates.

People who keep an open wireless router won't necessarily know when someone else is piggybacking on the signal, which usually reaches 300-400 feet, though a slower connection may be a clue.

For the Buffalo homeowner, who didn't want to be identified, the tip-off wasn't nearly as subtle.

It was 6:20 a.m. March 7 when he and his wife were awakened by the sound of someone breaking down their rear door. He threw a robe on and walked to the top of the stairs, looking down to see seven armed people with jackets bearing the initials I-C-E, which he didn't immediately know stood for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"They are screaming at him, 'Get down! Get down on the ground!' He's saying, 'Who are you? Who are you?'" [the defense attorney] said.

"One of the agents runs up and basically throws him down the stairs, and he's got the cuts and bruises to show for it," said [the defense attorney], who said the homeowner plans no lawsuit. When he was allowed to get up, agents escorted him and watched as he used the bathroom and dressed.
the stuff i put in blue text is all greek to me. anyway this was an eye-opening article in my opinion.
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post #3 of 6
6/19/11 at 9:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by c1atsite View Post
Quote:
The government's Computer Emergency Readiness Team recommends home users make their networks invisible to others by disabling the identifier broadcasting function that allows wireless access points to announce their presence. It also advises users to replace any default network names or passwords, since those are widely known, and to keep an eye on the manufacturer's website for security patches or updates.
the stuff i put in blue text is all greek to me. anyway this was an eye-opening article in my opinion.
The identifier broadcasting function is the SSID. This is the name of your network that you see when you are trying to connect. You don't gain any security advantages hiding it because there are many free applications that will show all of the network ids in your area.

Changing the admin password is much more important. The password should be at least 12 characters. Avoid words, include lower case and upper case letters, numbers, and any special characters that are allowed. And you should change it every few months.

Also, a different password should be used to connect to the network. Use the same criteria as above. If you do an internet search, there are ways to get memorable, but hard to guess passwords.
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post #4 of 6
6/19/11 at 1:27pm
The problem here is not the users, but the court system.

Government is being constantly lobbied by big business to enact legistlation that is often plain unconstitutional if not at least just plain idiotic.

An IP address is not a person, and yet time and time again the record industry and others have pushed to make it so. IP addresses are just network connections, and they can be shared by many individuals, both voluntary and sometimes involuntary, and its nonsense to try and hold people criminally liable for lackluster security.

So we don't need to fix people, we need to fix the courts.
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post #5 of 6
6/19/11 at 2:10pm
My brother's entire apartment complex shares the same wi-fi connection. . .I wonder what they would do if someone there did something illegal? Or what if you go use the library's wi-fi, or at the coffee shop? I think these are important legal things they need to sort out now that technology is part of everyday life.
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post #6 of 6
6/19/11 at 5:51pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Willowy View Post
I think these are important legal things they need to sort out now that technology is part of everyday life.
I agree. The thing is technology moves so fast these days it's hard to be on point. Any legal eagle with natural tech genes could turn this need into a nice profit I would imagine.
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