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View Full Version : Keeping Piggybackers at Bay - A Lesson in Wireless Security



Pale Rider
04-14-2008, 05:26 AM
Don't have wi-fi myself, but thought this was a real good article...



Keeping Piggybackers at Bay - A Lesson in Wireless Security

Have you ever connected to a wireless network that wasn't yours, to gain access to the Internet? If the answer is yes, you were doing something called piggybacking. According to Wikipedia, piggybacking refers to the practice of accessing a wireless Internet connection by bringing your computer within the range of someone else's wireless connection and using it without permission or knowledge of the owner. The practice of piggybacking has brought up both ethical and legal concerns. As a responsible consumer, you should ask yourself two questions:

What is the real harm if I piggyback someone else’s connection?
Am I really in danger if someone piggybacks my home wireless connection without my permission?
The real harm in piggybacking someone else’s connection all depends on how you view the wireless technology and what you do with it once you gain access. Even though your neighbor has not secured their connection, which leaves it open for anyone to access, does it mean you have the right to use it?

Consider this. You arrive home from work in a rush and absentmindedly leave the keys in the car and the door unlocked. Next door, your neighbor decides that since your car is unlocked with the keys in the ignition, he’s going to hop in and take it for a spin - without your knowledge or permission. Your first reaction would likely be that your car was stolen.

The same goes for a wireless Internet connection. Just like the neighbor doesn't own the car, you didn't pay for their Internet connection. You are using someone else's connection without their knowledge or permission, and it is you stealing something from your neighbor.

Article continues here with very good wireless network security tips... (http://connect.charter.com/cas/Portal/content/Newsletters/2008/April/newsletterArticles/piggyback.aspx)