Is it wrong to hack a secure wireless network...

[Jaedar]

if the password is utterly retarded. See I'm in a summerhouse type thing, and there's this baker who has a network nearby and see, its called "bagaren"(ie the baker). I guessed his password in 2 tries, first I tried "bagaren", but then it said the password was a String of either of 5 or 13 chars. I guessed "bagar" and got in. Obviously, someone with such an easily hacked password deserves some sort of punishment, but is there a better way than to just abuse the free internet access I've been given?

[Xesum]

Stop! You violated the law! Pay the court a fine or serve your sentence, your stolen goods are now forfeit.

[Jonas]

I know very little about what it's possible to do once you gain access to somebody else's network (other than just using the connection, which won't really teach them anything because they'll almost certainly never notice if they have a password like that), but if you can find a way to leave him a note or something if you catch him online at the same time as you, that would be both amusing and a good way to teach him a little lesson about electronic security. I'm sure there must be tutorials about that sort of stuff out there on the big wide Internet.

[Jaedar]

I know very little about what it's possible to do once you gain access to somebody else's network (other than just using the connection, which won't really teach them anything because they'll almost certainly never notice if they have a password like that), but if you can find a way to leave him a note or something if you catch him online at the same time as you, that would be both amusing and a good way to teach him a little lesson about electronic security. I'm sure there must be tutorials about that sort of stuff out there on the big wide Internet.

I could probably access his router and mess up all his settings(like locking the allowed MAC adresses to only encompass my computer). I'll maybe find a way to leave a note when I'm leaving I'm really not an IT wizard, so I don't want to do anything to complicated.

Edit: also, it may be more secure than I thought, It's either because its far away, or he has already IP-locked it, but I can't access internet with it. Probably becase of the connection.

[Undisputed]

Stop! You violated the law! Pay the court a fine or serve your sentence, your stolen goods are now forfeit.

Epic

[bobby 55]

Why not leave him a link to some encryption programs? I kinda sympathise with the guy because seven years ago I wasn't any more knowledgeable.

[Jaedar]

I think this was a false alarm. Turns out I didn't actually have proper access, it just didn't give me an error message when I entered the wrong pw, it just let me connect but not access the router or the internet. I'll probably try to guess the pass again though... how many 5/13 letter words can there really be?

[bobby 55]

I think this was a false alarm. Turns out I didn't actually have proper access, it just didn't give me an error message when I entered the wrong pw, it just let me connect but not access the router or the internet. I'll probably try to guess the pass again though... how many 5/13 letter words can there really be?

My name is Legion, for we are many.

[Jane_Denton]

Only if you get caught... cause waiting in a waiting room is boring as hell and a person needs to be entertained! Plus it should be standard to have free wireless in waiting rooms etc...

[Mr_Cyberpunk]

This is xerxes, the vending machines on all decks are to not be tampered with.. DEEDELLERRrrr..

[JizzyJeff]

A dude I know changes the name of the network to stuff like "assburgers" when he finds unsecured connections.

[Dead-eye]

Here's a handy site for figuring out how long it would take you're computer to crack the password: http://lastbit.com/pswcalc.asp

I did a run on 13 chars with numbers, upper and lower case letters at 500,000 passwords a secound. "Brute Force Attack will take up to 12861917392 years"

[bobby 55]

Only if you get caught... cause waiting in a waiting room is boring as hell and a person needs to be entertained! Plus it should be standard to have free wireless in waiting rooms etc...

Heh, I was up at the hospital visiting my mum, and on the way to her ward I came across a sign on a wall that said "wireless zone". I thought using laptops and mobiles in hospitals was frowned upon, or is the designated area far enough away from sensitive equipment?

[JizzyJeff]

That's where they put the heart patients they don't like.

[justanotherfan]

If you have full router access, change the settings to disable logging, and don't enter your MAC address anywhere.

"Teaching a security lesson" can be done, but it can be nasty to teach some grandmother about the latest WEP2 hack and firmware updates by effectively disabling their router or stealing passwords. Leaving a note somewhere when you're done with the connection could be a good idea if they get charged by bandwidth usage, or if the admin password puts them at risk from others. Otherwise, a status quo of free internet is probably fine. If someone values the security of something so little to have a password like "password", it's nearly an invitation to use the connection.

Dead-Eye's link really shows the need for reasonable limits on password attempts and retry durations. When trying to break a key locally, like captured data from WEP, it shows the need for long complex passwords.

Only use networks you're allowed to use; internet is plentiful, or enjoy some summertime without it.