Volume 6 Number 3
June 2010
"War Driving" - Is Your WiFi Network Vulnerable?
by Al Weigand aweigand@abilita.com
Recently, Google caused an international uproar when they admitted to inadvertently capturing user data from unsecured wireless data networks while photographing street views from their Street View mapping cars. Seems that these vehicles are also equipped to search for and log the location and identification of WiFi networks as they drive along, and due to an incredible lapse of common sense, were actually capturing snippets of user data from unsecured networks.
Trolling the streets for wireless networks is called "War Driving" and it has been going for as long as wireless data networks have been around. The information gleaned from Google's war driving effort is used to provide location-based services for mobile devices. You know, those cool apps that run on your cell phone and tell you where the nearest ATM or restaurant can be found. Most people think that these services rely on GPS coordinates provided by your phone, but not all phones have GPS and the signals are not always reliable indoors. If your phone is capable of receiving WiFi signals, then any open WiFi network can serve as a location beacon. By reading the ID of a nearby WiFi network and referencing a database created by war driving, your location can be determined within less than 100 feet! Databases of WiFi network locations are readily available on the Internet. Try looking up your address at www.wigle.net and see if your network has been tagged by a war driver.
Running an unsecured wireless network can be hazardous to your identity and your business. The technology necessary to capture your data is readily available to anyone with a PC or smartphone. Unsecured wireless networks also invite freeloaders who use your connection to access the Internet.
In India, Germany and other European countries, privacy laws are quite strict and just operating an unsecured wireless network can result in a fine. In the U.S., unsecured wireless networks are widespread and vulnerable to war driving, which is not illegal. It is your responsibility to secure your network and encrypt your data. All WiFi devices include security options. Learn how to use them and protect your information from prying radio receivers.
About Al Weigand
Al Weigand is an Abilita consultant and technology executive with more than 30 years experience engineering, deploying and operating complex telecommunications networks for small and mid-sized telecom service providers in competitive metropolitan markets. As a technology leader, Al and his teams have deployed the latest technologies in support of business customers ranging in size from single person offices to Fortune 1000 firms, and even baseball's 2006 All Star Game. As an industry leader, Al has been a long-term participant in national policy and standards setting bodies as an active member of the U.S. Telecom Association (USTA) and the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS). Al has a BS in Electrical Engineering from Point Park University, an MBA from Robert Morris University, and is a registered professional engineer. You can contact him at aweigand@abilita.com.
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