Real-world wardriving arrests

ZDNet ^ | September 17, 2004 | Robert Vamosi

[FReepaholic]

...There was nothing to indicate that the user was not supposed to use the network ...

Exactly. Same as leaving the door open at night and not having a sign saying you can't come in.

A skilled hacker could use this open POP to enter their network and have their way.

Lowe's had no security and their management, board of directors, shareholders, insurance carrier and customers should be concerned.

[Spiff]

I think you're wrong. The assets of the company were available to anyone to walk off with. Customers' credit card information was available for the taking. And anyone could easily cripple their network. The company was negligent. I think stockholders of Lowes should demand some heads.

I was speaking from the perspective of the guy that got busted for checking his email over an open hotspot. I was not speaking about the severe negligence of the company in leaving their network wide open. From their perspective, it was the same as running a network cable out into the parking lot and leaving it there for anyone to access.

And, having read more about the situation, the guy that got busted is not as innocent as it first appeared. Apparently, he returned to the open network and started snooping around, installed malware, and engaged in other illegal activities. He probably deserves what he gets.

[SouthTexas]

Agreed there. Fact is, this should also disturb their customers. If one door is left open, how many more are???

I remodeled my kitchen this year with only the fridge remaining as original. Half the purchases were made at Lowe's with some ordered through the net, all paid for with credit cards. How much of this data is accessible???

Did learn another thing, NEVER gut your kitchen while you live in the house!

s

[flashbunny]

"My laptop will automatically connect to any open network it finds! The utility that does so loads automatically at boot-time and was provided by the laptop manufacturer, which is a very major one. So who's the felon, them or me?"

A gun can be used to defend your life, target practice, or to commit crimes.

If you choose to use it to commit a crime, the gun maker isn't the felon, you are.

It is your responsibility to follow the law. If you find you can't do that with the curent settings in your laptop, you need to change your settings.

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

"It is your responsibility to follow the law. If you find you can't do that with the curent settings in your laptop, you need to change your settings."

I tried, I tried. It reverts back. Sometimes it's convenient; sometimes it's very annoying. It even starts looking for a WiFi network when it boots up on airplanes.... gotta pound the keyboard and sweat until it lets me shut that down.