The case of the stolen Wi-Fi: What you need to know

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Bob Frankston <Bob19-0501 () bobf frankston com>
Date: August 12, 2005 8:54:16 PM EDT
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Cc: 'Dewayne Hendricks' <dewayne () dandin com>, "William R. Cheswick"  
<ches () lumeta com>, 'Brad Templeton' <brad () templetons com>,  
Bankston () eff org, 'Simson Garfinkel' <SimSong () acm org>
Subject: The case of the stolen Wi-Fi: What you need to know


The continuing criminalization of the Internet.



It may seem that I’m overreacting because, as the article points out,  
the odds are I won’t be caught and prosecuted but I’m not comforted  
by idea of another potential crime I can be accused of “they” need to  
find one.



Before I’m too dismissive of the idea of “authorized access” and the  
fears that drive Florida to criminalize connecting via the ‘wrong”  
access points, open access points do create serious exposures. I fear  
Microsoft and others are following the road to Maginot rather than  
addressing the real security issues of the Internet. Their “solution”  
is to destroy the community and return to the “good old days” of  
noninterconnectable realms.



The article is unbalanced because all the attention is on the victims  
– that is users both authorized and unauthorized rather than the  
failure of systems companies to provide users with tools that allow  
them to participate in the shared Internet.



It’s one thing to have to use firewalls because of apparent failure  
of Microsoft (and others) to give us effective control but it’s  
another thing to start to institutionalize them in law. Next the  
carriers will be able to enforce their rules against running servers  
(including SIP servers for VoIP) or sharing the Internet connection  
between our computers and our printers?



The article complains about stealing bandwidth as if it were scarce  
and expensive like electricity. This is a very bad analogy – akin to  
calling reading a newspaper over someone’s shoulder in the subway  
piracy or theft. There’s the usual garbage about this being a Wi-Fi  
problem when any shared medium is leaky. And now there’s the threat  
the RIAA will swoop down on you if your IP address shows up on their  
lists.



Alas, as I noted, the defaulting of Windows (and other platforms) to  
sharing everything creates exposures that do make it necessary to  
close down our LANs. Early Unix had this problem – defaulting to open  
access vs Multics’ requiring the user give permission. (Project MAC:  
Man-Machine Symbiosis). XP’s “simple [minded] networking” model adds  
to this since it has a share/noshare model that only works if we wrap  
our systems in protective bubbles and presumes an unambiguous  
hierarchical model of authority. It compounds this by subverting the  
powerful (though overly complex) access control system built in.



The longer we keep our computers within protective bubbles the more  
damage from any leaks or errors or confusion. And all the while we  
are paying a price by leaving our machines as little more than  
typewriters and Web surfing TVs. It’s just like reducing our personal  
computing devices to mere telephones.



In the meantime carrying my HP-6315 may be a criminal offense in  
Florida! Out of concern for public safety perhaps there should be big  
“No Wi-Fi” signs at the entrance to the state? Or maybe “If you have  
Wi-Fi enter this state at your own risk”



Note that Bankston is not a typo, and is not me!



Also, I realized “give us” goes against the grain – we shouldn’t be  
dependent upon these companies but the dependency is still real.



http://www.computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/story/ 
0,10801,103774,00.html?source=NLT_PM&nid=103774



The case of the stolen Wi-Fi: What you need to know
The case of the stolen Wi-Fi: What you need to know



News Story by Stephen Lawson



AUGUST 08, 2005 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Benjamin Smith III and Gregory  
Straszkiewicz both were arrested for allegedly stealing something no  
one could see, hear or feel. That thing was valuable enough for  
victims to press charges in both cases. But the arrests were over  
something many consumers throw out their windows every day: a Wi-Fi  
signal.

The idea of a police car roaring down the street to catch a roving  
Doom junkie using someone else's wireless LAN may seem silly, but  
there are real dangers if your network plays host to strangers. The  
hazards you might face include eavesdropping, theft of data, painful  
legal hassles or even a conviction for computer-related crimes. And  
if you casually tap into your neighbor's Wi-Fi sometimes, these  
arrests -- Smith was arrested in Florida and Straszkiewicz in  
Isleworth, U.K. -- signal that it's at least possible you might run  
afoul of a law and an irritated fellow citizen.

On April 21, Richard Dinon of St. Petersburg, Fla., called police  
after he saw Smith in a car on the street outside his house using a  
notebook computer. Smith, 40, was arrested and charged with a felony  
under a Florida law that prohibits unauthorized access to a computer  
or network, according to police. A pretrial hearing is set for Sept.  
8. In July, a court in Isleworth convicted Straszkiewicz of using a  
laptop to access the Internet over unprotected residential WLANs on  
several occasions. He was fined $874 and got a 12-month conditional  
discharge.

……



Bob Frankston

http://www.frankston.com





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