Re: [WISPA] ESSID : Free Public WiFi
Here's the proof: http://www.oregonfast.net/gofast/FREE_PUBLIC_WIFI/ I seen this a couple months ago downtown, must have been like a dozen of them in stumbler along with another dozen real ones. I didn't know what to make of it and figured when I got more time I'd dig into seeing what was going on. I actually provide free open public wifi in the area I was seeing all these essid's. And then Monday next to one of my pops, I was thinking maybe it was in a home around it, but I have every customer there and I set them all up and it didn't make any sense. So then just this afternoon out in the middle of nowhere this pops up. First there is one and then another and then all 3 same same time. Jonathan Schmidt wrote: This sure sounds like an urban myth. Maybe? Maybe not? I've got a bunch of laptops in my house...most just sitting on my security cams or playing Radio Bartok. When I bring one up, I see only my own SSID and a couple of my neighbors but not Free Public Wi-FI. Certainly, none have ever been visible from another. Come to think of it, I should hide my SSID...thanks. However, I have seen variants of that name as an occasional ad-hoc computer-to-computer SSID in my travels but haven't seen anything resembling the levels reflected in the newspaper blog. During conferences, such as MuniWireless last month, there were typically 100++ laptops in each conference room all locked on to either the hotel Wi-Fi or the conference-provided Wi-Fi and that name didn't show up. And, from my office, there are about 20 SSIDs visible, about 1/3 unsecured, and none with that name. If there is something weakly resembling the phenomenon related in the linked blog, wouldn't it have become more well known? But, perhaps?let's see if anyone can track it down. . . . j o n a t h a n -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of George Rogato Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2007 8:33 PM To: WISPA General List Subject: [WISPA] ESSID : Free Public WiFi Anyone see ESSID : Free Public WiFi popping up in your XP laptop in ad hoc mode? I was surprised today when I got three diferent ESSID : Free Public WiFi at the same time and one was on channel 56! It was out in the middle of nowhere. I've recently started seeing them around, but not in the middle of the woods. Googled ESSID : Free Public WiFi and got this: http://blogs.chron.com/techblog/archives/2006/09/free_public_wif.html -- George Rogato Welcome to WISPA www.wispa.org http://signup.wispa.org/ -- WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
RE: [WISPA] ESSID : Free Public WiFi
OK, here's what's happening. The name Free Public Wi-Fi is an artifact of the coincidence of it being seeded somewhere and multiplying by this effect due to its seductive appearance to the uninitiated in ad-hoc networks: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=917021 explains the phenomenon (and how/why you could have seen those) and provides XP users with what looks like a bit of protection that should have been there in the first place. Download the patch on that page. Below are some quotes from the description of the problem and the action of the protective patch that makes this mostly-benign but exploitable (and curious) behavior understandable. . . . j o n a t h a n Changes in parking behavior --- On a computer that is running Windows XP with Service Pack 2, Wireless Auto Configuration may create a random wireless network name and put the wireless network adapter in infrastructure mode. This operation is known as parking the wireless network adapter. In this situation, the wireless adapter is not connected to any wireless network. However, the wireless adapter continues to scan for preferred wireless networks every 60 seconds. Some wireless network adapter drivers may interpret this parking operation as a request to connect to a wireless network. Therefore, these drivers may send probe requests in search of a network that has the random name. Because the parking operation passes no security configuration the driver, the random wireless network might be an open system-authenticated wireless network that uses no encryption. An observer could monitor these probe requests and establish a connection with a parked Windows XP wireless client. On a computer that has the Wireless Client Update installed, the request to park the wireless network adapter includes a security configuration that uses a random encryption key. This security configuration uses the most secure encryption method that the wireless network adapter supports. If the wireless network adapter supports WPA2, the security configuration uses Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption together with a 128-bit encryption key. If the wireless network adapter supports WPA but does not support WPA2, the security configuration uses Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) encryption together with a 128-bit encryption key. If the wireless network adapter supports Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) but does not support WPA2 or WPA, the security configuration uses WEP encryption together with a 128-bit encryption key. Back to the top Changes for ad hoc networks --- On a computer that does not have the Wireless Client Update installed, Wireless Auto Configuration automatically tries to connect to all the wireless networks in the preferred networks list that have previously been connected to. If no infrastructure mode networks are present, Wireless Auto Configuration sends probe requests to try to connect to the first ad hoc wireless network in the preferred networks list. An observer could monitor these probe requests and establish an unsecured connection with a Windows wireless client. On a computer that has the Wireless Client Update installed, Wireless Auto Configuration does not send probe requests to connect to newly created ad hoc wireless networks in the preferred networks list. Because many ad hoc wireless networks are created for temporary wireless connectivity, you must use the Choose a Wireless Network dialog box to manually initiate a connection to an ad hoc mode wireless network. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of George Rogato Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2007 1:26 AM To: WISPA General List Subject: Re: [WISPA] ESSID : Free Public WiFi Here's the proof: http://www.oregonfast.net/gofast/FREE_PUBLIC_WIFI/ I seen this a couple months ago downtown, must have been like a dozen of them in stumbler along with another dozen real ones. I didn't know what to make of it and figured when I got more time I'd dig into seeing what was going on. I actually provide free open public wifi in the area I was seeing all these essid's. And then Monday next to one of my pops, I was thinking maybe it was in a home around it, but I have every customer there and I set them all up and it didn't make any sense. So then just this afternoon out in the middle of nowhere this pops up. First there is one and then another and then all 3 same same time. Jonathan Schmidt wrote: This sure sounds like an urban myth. Maybe? Maybe not? I've got a bunch of laptops in my house...most just sitting on my security cams or playing Radio Bartok. When I bring one up, I see only my own SSID and a couple of my neighbors but not Free Public Wi-FI. Certainly, none have ever been visible from another. Come to think of it, I should hide my SSID...thanks. However, I have seen variants of that name as an occasional ad-hoc computer-to-computer SSID in my travels
Re: [WISPA] ESSID : Free Public WiFi
I saw this at the Orlando airport recently. It was an adhoc network that went to nothing. Scriv Jonathan Schmidt wrote: This sure sounds like an urban myth. Maybe? Maybe not? I've got a bunch of laptops in my house...most just sitting on my security cams or playing Radio Bartok. When I bring one up, I see only my own SSID and a couple of my neighbors but not Free Public Wi-FI. Certainly, none have ever been visible from another. Come to think of it, I should hide my SSID...thanks. However, I have seen variants of that name as an occasional ad-hoc computer-to-computer SSID in my travels but haven't seen anything resembling the levels reflected in the newspaper blog. During conferences, such as MuniWireless last month, there were typically 100++ laptops in each conference room all locked on to either the hotel Wi-Fi or the conference-provided Wi-Fi and that name didn't show up. And, from my office, there are about 20 SSIDs visible, about 1/3 unsecured, and none with that name. If there is something weakly resembling the phenomenon related in the linked blog, wouldn't it have become more well known? But, perhaps?let's see if anyone can track it down. . . . j o n a t h a n -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of George Rogato Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2007 8:33 PM To: WISPA General List Subject: [WISPA] ESSID : Free Public WiFi Anyone see ESSID : Free Public WiFi popping up in your XP laptop in ad hoc mode? I was surprised today when I got three diferent ESSID : Free Public WiFi at the same time and one was on channel 56! It was out in the middle of nowhere. I've recently started seeing them around, but not in the middle of the woods. Googled ESSID : Free Public WiFi and got this: http://blogs.chron.com/techblog/archives/2006/09/free_public_wif.html -- WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
RE: [WISPA] ESSID : Free Public WiFi
I've seen it all over the place...I always assumed that it was someone messing around, possibly maliciously. Jeff -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of John Scrivner Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2007 8:03 AM To: WISPA General List Subject: Re: [WISPA] ESSID : Free Public WiFi I saw this at the Orlando airport recently. It was an adhoc network that went to nothing. Scriv Jonathan Schmidt wrote: This sure sounds like an urban myth. Maybe? Maybe not? I've got a bunch of laptops in my house...most just sitting on my security cams or playing Radio Bartok. When I bring one up, I see only my own SSID and a couple of my neighbors but not Free Public Wi-FI. Certainly, none have ever been visible from another. Come to think of it, I should hide my SSID...thanks. However, I have seen variants of that name as an occasional ad-hoc computer-to-computer SSID in my travels but haven't seen anything resembling the levels reflected in the newspaper blog. During conferences, such as MuniWireless last month, there were typically 100++ laptops in each conference room all locked on to either the hotel Wi-Fi or the conference-provided Wi-Fi and that name didn't show up. And, from my office, there are about 20 SSIDs visible, about 1/3 unsecured, and none with that name. If there is something weakly resembling the phenomenon related in the linked blog, wouldn't it have become more well known? But, perhaps?let's see if anyone can track it down. . . . j o n a t h a n -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of George Rogato Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2007 8:33 PM To: WISPA General List Subject: [WISPA] ESSID : Free Public WiFi Anyone see ESSID : Free Public WiFi popping up in your XP laptop in ad hoc mode? I was surprised today when I got three diferent ESSID : Free Public WiFi at the same time and one was on channel 56! It was out in the middle of nowhere. I've recently started seeing them around, but not in the middle of the woods. Googled ESSID : Free Public WiFi and got this: http://blogs.chron.com/techblog/archives/2006/09/free_public_wif.html -- WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ -- WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
Re: [WISPA] ESSID : Free Public WiFi
I believe I saw the same phenomenon with a network called Home and Hotel. I googled it, but never found any answers. Thanks for figuring this one out, Jonathan! Best, -- Dylan Oliver Primaverity, LLC -- WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
RE: [WISPA] ESSID : Free Public WiFi
This sure sounds like an urban myth. Maybe? Maybe not? I've got a bunch of laptops in my house...most just sitting on my security cams or playing Radio Bartok. When I bring one up, I see only my own SSID and a couple of my neighbors but not Free Public Wi-FI. Certainly, none have ever been visible from another. Come to think of it, I should hide my SSID...thanks. However, I have seen variants of that name as an occasional ad-hoc computer-to-computer SSID in my travels but haven't seen anything resembling the levels reflected in the newspaper blog. During conferences, such as MuniWireless last month, there were typically 100++ laptops in each conference room all locked on to either the hotel Wi-Fi or the conference-provided Wi-Fi and that name didn't show up. And, from my office, there are about 20 SSIDs visible, about 1/3 unsecured, and none with that name. If there is something weakly resembling the phenomenon related in the linked blog, wouldn't it have become more well known? But, perhaps?let's see if anyone can track it down. . . . j o n a t h a n -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of George Rogato Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2007 8:33 PM To: WISPA General List Subject: [WISPA] ESSID : Free Public WiFi Anyone see ESSID : Free Public WiFi popping up in your XP laptop in ad hoc mode? I was surprised today when I got three diferent ESSID : Free Public WiFi at the same time and one was on channel 56! It was out in the middle of nowhere. I've recently started seeing them around, but not in the middle of the woods. Googled ESSID : Free Public WiFi and got this: http://blogs.chron.com/techblog/archives/2006/09/free_public_wif.html -- WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ -- WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
