RE: Best Buy re-activates WLANs (fwd)

["Ostfeld, Thomas" <tostfeld () kimpact com>]

You may be right.  Outside my local BB, there was a patrol car just hanging
out in the parking lot.  Store must have paid local police to provide for a
prescence.  Doubtful that they have implemented any real security.

-----Original Message-----
From: Jay D. Dyson
To: Vuln-Dev List
Sent: 6/15/02 4:38 PM
Subject: Re: Best Buy re-activates WLANs (fwd)

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On Sat, 15 Jun 2002, Art Stine wrote: 

> > Ron -- see CW story on Best Buy's annuncement they have turnedWLANs
> > backon.
http://computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/story/0,10801,72024,00.html
> heh heh - well, I hope for their sake (and their customers), they did
it
> right - 'cuz ya know folks are going to sit out in their parking lots
> again and try to see what they can snarf off their net. 

        Considering that the WLANs are back up so soon, I'd put my money
on their being as insecure as before.  Let us remember how corporate
America (and the US government) typically handles security issues:
rather
than address the core problem (inherent insecurity), they either step up
surveillance or criminalize the activity that embarrassed them in the
first place (usually under the auspices of such abominations as the
DMCA,
SSSCA and so on). 

        It's more likely that Best Buy now has their "security guards" 
patrolling the parking lots looking for "hacker types" sitting in their
cars with laptops (mmmm...lifestyle profiling).  At that point, the
rent-a-cops will take down license plates and/or tell the party with the
laptop to leave under threat of criminal trespass charges.

        I'd like to be proven wrong on this, but I've long since lost
faith in the notion that any business or government agency _really_
wants
genuine security.

        I may be cynical, but I'm rarely disappointed.

- -Jay

  (    (
_______
  ))   ))   .--"There's always time for a good cup of coffee"--.
> ====<--.
C|~~|C|~~| (>------ Jay D. Dyson -- jdyson () treachery net ------<) |    =
|-'
 `--' `--'  `-- I'll be diplomatic...when I run out of ammo. --'
`------'

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