Paper about WiFi (un)security...

[bluey]

(Maybe I should start the thread there, but is it off-topic?)

I\'ll be writting a paper about open/unencrypted WiFi networks around where I live. There are a couple of companies (nokia, microsoft, samsung, portugal telecom, etc) which have their offices near where I live, in a kind of industrial area and have WiFi, and I\'ve been catching up a few APs  from our major broadband ISP, and maybe personal too. This lead me to want to write a paper on the subject, stating among other things, percentages in open networks, closed but unencrypted, and close and encrypted networks. I\'ll be using my Z to do my readings.

Have any of you made such a thing, like wardriving to get numbers and make a report? Is the Z enough? (Using kismet or wellenreiter)

How to plan such a thing?

I\'m doing this paper for myself, not any university work (maybe in the future I\'ll have one like this, but normally is just coding... :?), I wan\'t to make some research in this area to add to my personal knowledge as I go along the way in writting this. I have some background knowledge already, and I want to increase it and do something useful at the same time. People sleep on this matter around here... They don\'t understand that other people can see their data and use their networks...

Thank you for any input.

[jfv]

You may want to check out
http://www.wigle.net
Felipe

[sefthuko]

I warbussed on the way home from work in Taipei, and picked up 146 access points using Wellenreiter.  Afterwards, you can save the session info and the logs.  The logs don\'t show anything about which ones are WEP encrypted though, which irked me.  But you can read it off of the session info.

[V-Man]

I live in a semi-rural area.  I have several unsecured networks around me.  As far as I know, mine is the only secured one.  Where I work, predominately upper class residential, I know of a whole bunch of unsecured networks.  The secured networks are the rarity.  Most of these unsecured networks are personal wifi networks using the default settings of the AP/Router.  I have talked to a few people about the (un)security of their networks and they seem unconcerned.  When someone steals their data, and I have to take a stolen identity or fraud report, maybe that will change.  I demonstrated to one person how I could get into their computer using a wifi PDA.  They said they would call me later and we would set up some basic security, but I\'m still waiting for the call.  They were sharing their C drive on a WinXP computer with no password or anything.  I could access everything on the computer!!!  This guy was the head of a major local business too.  During the demonstration, I should have pulled up his financial or business data. Maybe that would have sparked some interest in securing his network.

V-Man

[sefthuko]

Even better yet, leave a text file on his desktop going \"Reasons You Should Secure Your Network.txt\"

[bluedevils]

you should be careful because you have demonstrated that you have accessed someone\'s machine.  If something malicious happens, you could become a prime suspect.

[Skyline]

I do pen testing for fun and $$ on the side. I got a great setup going. I\'ll tell ya, I just started getting into wifi, and its great..I read a paper (can\'t find the link) where they drove around major cities (nyc, ma, bay) and found on average < 50% AP have WEP. Damn. Thats like backdoor no firewall / log / history. damn.

[bluey]

It is pretty scary... if we think our bank, a shop you have a customer account in, the company where you\'ve been working hard the last few months developing an new product to be released as an inovation to the market, could be in that unprotected group...

People can\'t see that it\'s like having a RJ45 connector in the sidewalk connected to their network, but worse, since you can be pretty far away with an amplifier and directional antenna...

Skyline (after the Nissan car?! I\'m a Nissan fan...  there\'re no Skylines in Portugal): Do you use a Z, or do you use a laptop? I\'ll be making a mod to my Netgear MA701 card so that I have a plug on it, I\'m thinking in a 2,5 audio jack, but even that can be too big... Could be a mix, the Z for capturing and real time logging, updating the results to the laptop later, or with the sync cable or something...

What\'s your setup? What\'s the range of the pen test you do?

[echo6]

I have a 860,  none of the Wellenreiter ipkg files will allow me to install the app :-(

Is there a guide or any other doc which will show me the way ?