Re: Legality of WEP Cracking

[Carl Livitt <carllivitt () yahoo com>]

The UK law is clear, I quote from the UK Computer Misuse Act 1990
(http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1990/Ukpga_19900018_en_2.htm):

**1.**—(1) A person is guilty of an offence if—

(a) he causes a computer to perform any function with intent to secure
access to any program or data held in any computer;
(b) the access he intends to secure is unauthorised; and
(c) he knows at the time when he causes the computer to perform the
function that that is the case.


Let's consider:

(1) the act of WEP cracking as a 'function',
(2) the unknown WEP key as 'data held in any computer',
(3) the 'intent to secure access' as your deliberate use of WEP cracking
software,
(4) you do not have permission to view the target's data (WEP key), and
(4) if you undertook such an exercise now, you would do so with
knowledge of the law.

Given this breakdown, you would almost certainly be in breach of the UK
Computer Misuse Act 1990. Not to mention that it's ethically
questionable at best.

Carl.

Richard Brinson wrote:
> During an internal business development meeting yesterday we were discussing
> new ways of picking up pen testing clients. One of our junior engineers
> suggested that we go war driving, crack some WEP keys and then approach each
> company offering services to make them more secure. The idea was put down
> straight away on the basis that without prior approval we would be breaking
> the law. However, upon further discussion a case was made that (moral issues
> aside) provided we only captured traffic passively, and as long as we did
> not try to connect or send any packets to any devices - would the law be
> broken?  
>  
> Does the law state anywhere that we can not analyse air traffic that is
> broadcast into the public domain? (if so surely we would all be breaking the
> law every time we picked up a network other than our own) and is it against
> the law to know someone else's WEP key when they have not made that
> information available to you?
>  
> What are your thoughts on this?
>  
> Kind regards,
>  
> Richard Brinson
> Kanoo Ltd
>  
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