Mike, Absolutely insane. I wonder what value is place on the "theft" of service? $29.95?? And if the owner of the WLAN left it open....who reported the "crime"?
With the recent report of Los Angeles County getting a failing grade on the probation tracking system, one would think there are more important priorities. This sounds like nothing more than some police agency patting themselves on the back for figuring out how to use a wireless sniffer. Tim McGrath Ward Davis Communications The Internet Instrumentation Specialists www.warddavis.com/wdc/default.asp phone: 805-379-3983 Ventura County phone: 310-297-5990 x156 LA County phone: 800-511-7171 Hawaii ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Outmesguine" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 11:35 AM Subject: [SOCALWUG] FW: [Wi-Fi Net News] Yikes, That Guy Might Be Using Your Wi-Fi! > > Story on a whacked out Wi-Fi "theft of services" arrest. We don't know the > whole story, but jeez... A felony arrest for surfing in front of an open > network? The WLAN owner even said he left it open on purpose, "because his > neighbors are older." > > "Police say Benjamin Smith III, 41, used his Acer brand laptop to hack into > Dinon's wireless Internet network. The April 20 arrest is considered the > first of its kind in Tampa Bay and among only a few so far nationwide." > > Which begs the question: Is clicking "Connect" in Windows XP hacking? > > Now this person using an open network while parked in the street is being > compared to a terrorist and pedophile before we have *any* facts. > > I'm going to keep paying $80 a month for Verizon EVDO. Maybe I can avoid a > felony arrest for hacking an open hotspot. > > - Mike > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Wi-Fi Networking News > Sent: Monday, July 04, 2005 9:33 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [Wi-Fi Net News] Yikes, That Guy Might Be Using Your Wi-Fi! > > By Glenn Fleishman > Special to Wi-Fi Networking News > Permanently archived item <http://wifinetnews.com/archives/005481.html> > > > [1] Sort of hilarious over the top article about a fellow caught using > someone else's Wi-Fi network furtively: The SUV driver apparently can afford > a big old car but not a DSL or cable connection, which suggests nefarious > activity. He was arrested under a law for unauthorized access to a computer > network, a third-degree felony. Because the fellow was a) parked outside > someone's home not just using a neighbor's leaky service, b) did it at 11 pm > and c) was furtive, it's possible that he was engaged in untoward activity, > but neither he nor prosecutors are talking. > > The problem with an arrest like this, of course, is that what is the value > of the theft? 15 cents? Who is the victim--the ISP or the subscriber? It's a > lot of money spent to prosecute a problem that can be dealt with by turning > on security. If someone bothers to break through WEP for a home network, > well, that crosses the line for sure. But this is just a strange case, > reminiscent of the wrong-way driving, pantless Canadian, early morning > kiddie-porn Wi-Fi signal thief. > > And one point of view was missing: for ISPs that don't care if you share, > this isn't a crime or a problem. The monolithic ISP view is always > represented by companies that think sharing is stealing. Speakeasy Networks > is apparently by my research the only ISP of any scale that encourages > sharing. I asked the CEO about this the other day at their pre-WiMax launch, > and he confirmed it: they don't monitor, they don't care. They're selling > you a pipe and you can make lemonade for the neighbors with the signal that > comes out. > > > URLs referenced: > [1] <http://www.sptimes.com/2005/07/04/State/Wi_Fi_cloaks_a_new_br.shtml> > > > -- > You can reach Wi-Fi Networking News at <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Our postal > address: 115 N. 85th St., Suite 205, Seattle WA 98103 > >
