[wbill]

I know hackers can always find a way

Yup. But, in general, you only need to be a step faster than your slowest neighbor.

When I turn on my laptop, I get my own Wifi connection, plus 4 of my neighbors.

My setup is totally secure. Neighbors' are not. Which one do you think a hacker will check out?

The one setup that I could ID - I mentioned to the guy. HE said 'Pah' and waved his hand. Wonder if he'd do the same thing if I presented him with copies of his tax returns, CC numbers, bank PINs, etc. I haven't hacked his system because I figure that it's none of my business. Doubt that others think the same way.

[djf]

Very first ROT (Rule of thumb) for any machine that will be connecting to a wireless network.

Turn OFF file sharing!

[Blue Highway]

The one setup that I could ID - I mentioned to the guy. HE said 'Pah' and waved his hand. Wonder if he'd do the same thing if I presented him with copies of his tax returns, CC numbers, bank PINs, etc. I haven't hacked his system because I figure that it's none of my business. Doubt that others think the same way.

You wouldn't be able to hack into his computer just by leeching his internet connection. Are you talking about special equipment and software or just by him having an open unsecured network?