A series that runs every Tuesday, where I ask questions unrelated to the environment, fair trade, or local politics that I’ve been wondering about but haven’t been able to google the answers to. Any advice is appreciated.
Only a day late!
If you haven’t checked out Yellow Chair Stories yet (via WorldChanging), you gotta.
It’s a project of a woman called Anab, who set out a yellow chair outside her apt. with a sign that said “My Wi-Fi network is open for neighbours and passers-by. Free access from the yellow chair.†The website tells the story of shared physical and virtual spaces, and random neighborly interactions in urban hoods.
The short film’s the best way to see the project, if you’ve got a high speed connection. It’s inspiring — makes you rethink traditional ideas of space and ownership — and to open up your wireless network for all to play in.
My question is: I’ve heard that leaving your wireless network open (as in not encrypted) can lead to all sorts of bad things happening to your computer. Hackers, viruses, etc. How true is this?
2nd Q: Does multiple people logging onto your wireless network make the connection slow down for everyone?
3rd Q: If one’s wireless gateway comes pre-encrypted courtesy of Verizon, how does one de-encrypt it?
4th Q: Are there any other things to consider before making my wireless network a free-for-all? I mean, if I’m gonna be payin’ Verizon for the stuff every month, I’d like my neighbors to benefit –
BTW — Yellow Chair will soon debut in San Jose!
1) If your computer is not blocked through a separate firewall or firewall app, it is now vulnerable to attack from anybody who joins the wireless network. So yes, there is a risk. Proper setup can reduce that risk so that it doesn’t matter.
2) Yes. It’s shared bandwidth. Where it really hurts is the internet connection. If you have Verizon DSL, you probably have 1.5Mbits/s - and everybody who downloads data uses some of that bandwidth. If you really want to share but make sure you get access, you might need a wireless device that allows traffic shaping.
3) Uh - the manual should say. There’s usually a web page where you can configure your wireless device. (This is BTW one of the biggest vulnerabilities if you share - everybody can get to that page unless it’s password-protected)
4) Check your terms of service. It might be that Verizon explicitly forbids sharing. Also, you might want to consider setting up a separate private network for your stuff - anybody who can join your network can sniff all your traffic.
Comment by Robert 'Groby' Blum — June 14, 2006 @ 7:35 pm
“sniff your traffic” can include
steal your credit card numbers (watch those online purchases), passwords, etc.
my friend had his credit card no. stolen after logging into his T-mobile account at starbucks. yet another reason not to go.
Comment by lag2 — June 14, 2006 @ 9:28 pm
Adding to Robert’s comment on item 3), many of today’s Wireless Routers use the same default password that anyone can use to access the router. If they’re evil enough, they can setup the password and wireless encryption to lock you (the owner) out.
As for hacking a laptop or PC on a wireless network, Fiberlink has a video (registration required) detailing the ease with which someone can gain access to your computer - it’s pretty scary.
Comment by TOMAS — June 15, 2006 @ 9:33 am
lag2: That’s highly unlikely, unless he used a non-https connection. https (can be recognized by the lock-item displaying somewhere in your browser) is reasonably secure even if people watch your traffic. That’s the whole point of https.
TOMAS: It helps if you don’t run a windows machine ;) Windows is notoriously unsecure AND the most popular target for hackers. You’re better of running something like Linux or MacOS.
As for the locking out of the owner - you have that little factory-reset button on your device. That’s one of the reasons you have it. In general, if you have a wireless router and are security-conscious, you will *always* set it up using a direct cable connection. NEVER configure it over wireless.
Comment by Robert 'Groby' Blum — June 15, 2006 @ 2:07 pm
Robert - Well with the *ho-hum* upcoming release of Vista, switching to a Mac is starting to sound very-very appealing. :)
Comment by TOMAS — June 15, 2006 @ 7:31 pm
Dude — You techy people fucking rock! But I have a follow up question:
1. I have McCaffee SecurityCenter, with the firewall activated. Is that adequate protection?
My manual’s v. much geared towards the new internet user, and doesn’t have any interesting info at all — def. not anything about how to deencrypt the network. But I’ll try and call to find out if this webpage you’re talkin’ bout exists, and if so, where it is — and will ask about the legality of sharing at that time. Wish me luck!
Comment by Siel — June 15, 2006 @ 10:41 pm
Hey all, check this out: a fast, easy, secure way to share your WiFi… wirelessnomad.com, a user-owned WiFi co-op!
Comment by Damien — June 15, 2006 @ 10:49 pm
hey to share you wifi - look at Fon
http://en.fon.com/
to safely use wifi for anyone so that your traffic is encrypted - use this free vpn
http://www.hotspotshield.com/
Comment by Kimo Crossman — June 16, 2006 @ 4:22 am
If you can tell us what kind of router you have, we might point you in the right direction..
McAfee Security Center is probably a good first line of defense. If you really want to set this up, a separate hardware firewall is a good idea. (I can dig through my stash of old HW - there might one be hiding in there)
BTW: Since you’re my beacon of greenness around here - what’s one to do with old PCs? They’re still working fine, and I don’t want to just chuck them. Are there any places in need/worthy of a donation?
Comment by Robert 'Groby' Blum — June 16, 2006 @ 9:07 am