Posted on 07/07/2005 5:02:32 AM PDT by blackeagle
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Police have arrested a man for using someone else's wireless Internet network in one of the first criminal cases involving this fairly common practice.
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Benjamin Smith III, 41, faces a pretrial hearing this month following his April arrest on charges of unauthorized access to a computer network, a third-degree felony.
Police say Smith admitted using the Wi-Fi signal from the home of Richard Dinon, who had noticed Smith sitting in an SUV outside Dinon's house using a laptop computer.
The practice is so new that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement doesn't even keep statistics, according to the St. Petersburg Times, which reported Smith's arrest this week.
Innocuous use of other people's unsecured Wi-Fi networks is common, though experts say that plenty of illegal use also goes undetected: such as people sneaking on others' networks to traffic in child pornography, steal credit card information and send death threats.
Security experts say people can prevent such access by turning on encryption or requiring passwords, but few bother or are unsure how to do so.
Wi-Fi, short for Wireless Fidelity, has enjoyed prolific growth since 2000. Millions of households have set up wireless home networks that give people like Dinon the ability to use the Web from their backyards but also reach the house next door or down the street.
It's not clear why Smith was using Dinon's network. Prosecutors declined to comment, and a working phone number could not be located for Smith.
If this isn't a spoof, this is unreal.
What is this world coming to?
I'd say..left wing socialism.
This practice may be "new" to Florida Law Enforcement, but people have been "war driving" for the last few years.
My husband's computer has a "sniffer" on it, and if it's on while we're driving through town, you can hear it beep as we drive through different Wi-Fi areas.
Here's an article from early 2004 that talks about the problem.
http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-1035-5147428.html#
If You don't bother to lock down your wireless connection, then you should have no right to bitch if someone is using your connection.
It only takes a few seconds to lockdown a router.
I agree.Its the same as a radio signal however you can encrpyt it and make it unaccessible.If people are ignorant then its their own fault. Jees take some responsibility for your own stuff.
Amen.
I'd say..left wing socialism.>>>>>>>
As opposed to.....right wing socialism?
Sort of like watching cable tv, with your shades and windows open, or listining to loud music in your backyard...
The key is knowing how to do it.
How do you do it?
When all else fails, consult the manual.
"If You don't bother to lock down your wireless connection, then you should have no right to bitch if someone is using your connection."
That sounds just as intelligent as saying that if someone doesn't lock their car then they have no right to be upset if someone steals it. I understand that people have to take some responsibility with their property, but wouldn't you press charges if someone stole your car even if you didn't lock it?
My dsl modem went down briefly for some reason and my laptop tried to jump onto my neighbor's network. I practically had to wrestle it to the ground to keep it from logging on. Apparently windows xp is like a cat in heat and will hook up with any wireless network it can sniff.
Where did I put it?
I'm on vacation using a "found" connection. I can only assume it is a public router since it is unprotected.
Not really. A person does not have a way of knowing if the connection is public or private. Many localities are offering free wifi now.
Hope that's a "throw down" computer you're using ;)
And if you don't lock your car you shouldn't complain if somebody steals it. And if you leave any doors or windows to your house unlocked, you shouldn't complain if somebody burglarizes your house. Yes, it is fairly easy to secure your wireless connection and it is foolish to leave a wireless network unsecured; BUT theft of service is STILL theft of service. The fact that it was unsecured is no more a defense than the idea that an unlocked car or house would exonerate the car thief or burglar.
Are you sure you're not loitering on the street in your SUV outside the residence of someone with a WI-FI network?
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