Ooops! I was sure I had posted this as a vanity.
Ok. I have a problem with this. “Tapping into” a wireless network does not give one the ability to put pornography on someone elses computer on that network. You either have been accessing pornography or you have not been; it is your computer, the wireless is simply access to the internet.
Not your brother or sister?
Not your best day.
How about burning the files to a CD-ROM and mailing it annonymously to the cops with the address of the perps?
I’m wondering if the files are on your pc, or if the people across the street have a folder on their PC that they are sharing.
I think you need to inform the police. Child pornography is a very serious offense, and if not informed ahead of time, they can track where and by whom the files were accessed, including and especially back to you, since you made modifications (deletion of files).
It will be a big, lengthy mess to get out of, if the cops trace you, before you tell them.
How about talking with legal counsel before doing anything?
I sure as hell would. Certainly before calling the police.
Your sister-in-law and brother-in-law live across the street from Scott Ritter?
I’m not sure I’d call the police first- a lawyer might be a better choice. Might cost some money, might save a lot of pain. I do suggest calling cops within the lawyer’s instructions.
And chances are very good that law enforcement has already seen this thread.
deleted pictures are still in your Recycle Bin....
ONLY if you brother-in-law is innocent, call the police.
But he better be absolutely sure he is innocent because a police computer forensic expert will be able to prove that it was done on your brothers computer if that is what actually happened.
That was stupid - it sounds like your husband destroyed evidence.
At a minimum, if it really was someone external logging onto the computer over a wireless connection, then screwing around with that connection would alert them to the fact that they had been found out, and they'd never logon again [ergo the police would never be able to catch them red-handed].
But I agree - this is highly unusual. Much more likely that it wasn't anyone external.
So even if he can get off the hook this time, I would NEVER allow your children to be alone with your BIL.
NEVER.
That means until they're 18 and gone off to college.
Well, it’s your internet connection, so if authorities find the neighbor’s shared porn via the Internet, it will appear to be at your home...so, you need to get some knowledgeable tech to your home to secure your wireless — turn off SSID so people won’t be able to “see” your network unless you explicitly tell them about it. The wireless should use WPA encryption, NOT WEP as was suggested above; WEP is not fully secure. After you’ve become responsible owners of your network, do whatever a lawyer encourages you to do.
I just heard on the news today of a fellow in Las Vegas who found kiddie porn, turned it over to the police, who were then able to find the fellow in the video or photos with the little kid. The person who originally turned in the porn was also prosecuted, if I understood the story correctly. I’ll look for the story.
Obviously you can’t do anything but delete it and secure the computer.
Look at the people here. You want to report a crime but half the crowd is ready to accuse your BIL as their prime suspect. Chances are the police will be even less forgiving then the potential jury.
Its a shame.
It is for exactly this reason that whenever my friends ask about why they should bother encrypting their wireless network, I recommend securing their wireless network at least enough to keep the casual interloper out.
The scenario I always paint is that described in this situation. Someone wants to access questionable material but not be traceable to them, so they tap into your unsecured network and access the material using your internet connection.
Now if the police trace the connection as part an investigation of the provider of the questionable material, guess whose door they’ll be knocking on.... Yours!
I tell my friends to at least do the following:
o Change the default SSID
o Don’t broadcast your SSID
o Use some form of encryption
o Change the default password for your router’s admin user
o If you don’t have guests that regularly want to use your wireless, then use MAC address filtering to allow only your computers on the wireless network.
These steps will not keep a committed hacker out, but they will keep the casual interloper from finding and accessing your network.
TM
Talk to a good lawyer ASAP. He/she hopefully will have connections with the detectives and will navigate you through this potential nightmare. Good luck.
IMHO it could turn out to be a real minefield. The garbage is on your computer, after all, and someone could make a case that it's in your possession and therefore that you are violating the law, regardless of the source. How do you prove the negative - that you or someone in your family didn't put it there? If you cut off the neighbors' access via the wireless, then not only do you risk tipping them off that they've been discovered, but the garbage is still on your computer (if indeed that's really where it is physically located).
Then again, IANAL, but if you erase it, maybe you have just caused obstruction of justice, or maybe you've even acted as an accomplice of the real perp (and you'd better be sure that you really erase it - copies of stuff can hide in places where you don't expect it to hide but where experienced forensic detectives can find it - and any erasing had better be a secure erase with multiple overwrites of random data, otherwise the garbage can be recovered by an expert or even by a not-so-expert user - there are companies that make secure erasing software that you can download and try out for free).
Do you happen to know a good lawyer who is friendly with the local police or the Feds?
Delete it all, secure your network, and privately find who is doing it if possible. I have to concure with other posters that it is possible you will be blamed.
You bet they can. If the pictures have been uploaded any where and distributed, that can create even more legal problems. These images leave "footprints" on the IP servers from the IP providers. If the images were downloaded from or uploaded to anyone that is under surveillance, then it will lead to your family. If the images are downloaded from or uploaded to someone that gets arrested, it will point to your family.
You said this was a "dilemma", it really isnt. You know what the right thing to do is. You need to get with your family and let them know it is for their own legal protection.