Comments on: Some More News http://shouzer.com/archives/2007/05/24/some-more-news/ It's Electric! Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:08:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: jared http://shouzer.com/archives/2007/05/24/some-more-news/comment-page-1/#comment-8981 jared Mon, 28 May 2007 00:44:14 +0000 http://shouzer.com/archives/2007/05/24/some-more-news/#comment-8981 maybe i didn't make myself clear enough. i point was that dhcp is like asking permission to enter and use the amenities of the household. nobody could enter the network (or the home) without permission from somebody (the homeowner or the router). in any event, i know that we agree on the topic. i do believe that perhaps some of the blame should be placed on the router manufacturers. the security features should be turned on by default with a random password set, much like a combination lock. nobody bitches that they have to look at the instructions or anything to find the password to their lock. yet i bet they'd complain if they had to do the same for their router, which is strange. maybe i didn’t make myself clear enough. i point was that dhcp is like asking permission to enter and use the amenities of the household. nobody could enter the network (or the home) without permission from somebody (the homeowner or the router).

in any event, i know that we agree on the topic. i do believe that perhaps some of the blame should be placed on the router manufacturers. the security features should be turned on by default with a random password set, much like a combination lock. nobody bitches that they have to look at the instructions or anything to find the password to their lock. yet i bet they’d complain if they had to do the same for their router, which is strange.

]]> By: Jordan http://shouzer.com/archives/2007/05/24/some-more-news/comment-page-1/#comment-8973 Jordan Sat, 26 May 2007 18:11:57 +0000 http://shouzer.com/archives/2007/05/24/some-more-news/#comment-8973 I definitely see where you are coming from on the free wireless subject. Since I am still waiting for internet connectivity at my apartment (it was supposed to be set up last 5 days ago), I have had to resort to 'sharing' with some of my neighbors. Not only do these people leave there network unsecured, they haven't even bothered to change the default username and password for their router. I think that, whenever you make no attempt whatsoever to prevent others from exploiting your connection, there is an implicit invitation to use it. I'm not so sure if I agree with the house/door analogy, though. It would still feel like trespassing if I were to walk into someone else's house even though their door was unlocked (to use this analogy further, not changing the router login/password would be like leaving the keys to the door on the kitchen table). Really (and I am apparently not the most ethical person with this sort of thing) what is wrong with using said wireless network so long as you don't use it maliciously? Even though I might leave my door open, I wouldn't want people wandering around, making phone calls, and using my appliances. I think that broadcasting your SSID is more like putting a sign on your door that says "Visitors welcome!" When you secure your network, you basically saying "Visitors are welcome, so long I have OK'd it first" (hacking into someone's wireless by cracking their WEP key, for instance, is another story). I definitely see where you are coming from on the free wireless subject. Since I am still waiting for internet connectivity at my apartment (it was supposed to be set up last 5 days ago), I have had to resort to ‘sharing’ with some of my neighbors. Not only do these people leave there network unsecured, they haven’t even bothered to change the default username and password for their router. I think that, whenever you make no attempt whatsoever to prevent others from exploiting your connection, there is an implicit invitation to use it. I’m not so sure if I agree with the house/door analogy, though. It would still feel like trespassing if I were to walk into someone else’s house even though their door was unlocked (to use this analogy further, not changing the router login/password would be like leaving the keys to the door on the kitchen table). Really (and I am apparently not the most ethical person with this sort of thing) what is wrong with using said wireless network so long as you don’t use it maliciously?
Even though I might leave my door open, I wouldn’t want people wandering around, making phone calls, and using my appliances. I think that broadcasting your SSID is more like putting a sign on your door that says “Visitors welcome!” When you secure your network, you basically saying “Visitors are welcome, so long I have OK’d it first” (hacking into someone’s wireless by cracking their WEP key, for instance, is another story).

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