Drive By Spam - Is Your Wifi Secure?

The reason is simple, with security turned off, setting up an access point is as easy as plugging it in. Requiring a user to manually setup the router with a password is a major hurdle for them to clear. Even shipping the hardware with a randomized password printed on the unit substantially decreases the odds of a novice user getting it online properly.

When a user can't figure something out, they often return it. A fact of the industry is that a lot of money is lost to returned product. The hardware can often be resold, but the preciously thin profit margin is erased. Unsecured devices are good for business, but problems abound.

Stories circulate of computer novices being shocked that the kid next door is, "stealing" their connectivity to browse naughty websites. They are under the impression that they somehow got, "hacked." This is an inevitable outcome when people who can't set the clock on their microwave suddenly have the power to extend multi-megabit networks for hundreds or with the right hardware, even thousands of feet.

Things are further confused by nameless routers and local public wifi networks. Who can really tell if, "LINKSYSED3213A" is their own access point, a free community network setup by the local library, or a device their neighbor plugged in? Click the wrong access point, and you might, "hack" their network.

So what's wrong with running an unsecured access point?

For one, you're effectively leaving a network tap on your front porch that anyone can access under your name. Drive by spamming is a reality. Spammers can cruise around in their cars, and when they find a hotspot with particularly good connectivity, they park and, "drop their load." When other users try to trace back who has been sending them unwanted email, they'll come up with your IP address.

Many modern email servers place limits on many messages can be sent from a given customer over a certain period of time. When this limit is hit, the spammer just drives to the next hotspot. Even better for spammers, anti-spam software utilizing DNS blacklists usually don't pick up end-user's IP addresses as being known spam senders.

News stories of people viewing websites of questionable legality via wifi are not hard to find. The concern is that from a networking standpoint, it's not possible to distinguish an unwanted guest on your network from yourself. If the law comes looking for someone, it could be you.

Another major concern is you may be exposing your own computer to security threats. This is probably a larger concern for business as opposed to individuals, but should be taken seriously none the less.

Most routers offer some level of firewall functionality to systems behind them. Commonly, computers which log on via wifi have full network level access to your system - bypassing the firewall. On the flip side, any potential hacker would have to be within a few hundred feet of your system. This could still be as far as a few buildings up the block. Businesses with ruthless competition should take note.

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