Cracking Wireless Networks and its Vulnerability

Though large companies may be using the best quality wireless router available, they are not necessarily immune from security gaps. If the router is configured incorrectly a hacker experiences in cracking wireless networks will have little trouble getting in.

Proof of Vulnerability

Ample evidence exists to illustrate that most wireless networks are indeed not secure enough.

• From a Reuters' report in mid-2005, about 62% of 230,000 hotspots tested were openly available to anyone who tried to access them.
• Jupiter Research conducted a study among wireless network home users and found that a good 14% of them tried to access the wireless connection of their neighbors and were successful.
• There were 1,200 hacking attempts blocked by the organizers of the Defcon conference in 2005.

Wardriving

The act of searching for wireless network connections is known as wardriving. It was once called WiLDing, which stands for Wireless LAN Driving, but the term never gained any popularity. Those looking for wireless connections are in a car or truck and are equipped with a laptop or PDA with wireless network capabilities. Some even have a device specifically designed for detecting wireless connections without the use of a computer.

Wardrivers are often professionals in their field. They are knowledgeable in what they are doing and have all the tools necessary to get into a wireless connection without the owner knowing it. Even if there are security mechanisms in place, a WEP encryption for example, it will not stop a determined hacker. More often than not, these wifi pirates have WEP cracker software to make hacking easy for them. (Much of this software is available free online and can be found by searching for "wep crack" or even "wepcrack" or "wep crack windows.")

These wardrivers have different reasons for accessing wireless connections without permission. The most common is to use the owner's IP address so the hacker's actions over the internet will be difficult to trace. Others just want free Internet access.

Legal Matters

Wireless networks are relatively new in the IT industry and continue to evolve. Thus, there are no solid laws that have yet been implemented regarding their use and misuse. Though there are some guidelines and agreements between the wireless equipment/network providers and the users, they do not carry the force of law. Stealing a wireless connection is technically illegal, however. It is owned by another individual or entity and should not be broken into by any outsider.

It is easy for anybody with the right tools such as a laptop or a Wifi finder to locate a wireless connection and to break into the system. Wardriving though not exclusively illegal is certainly unethical and presents a serious security issue for home and small business uses.