* A tale to remind you to secure your wireless net
Just when you think the news headlines can’t get any weirder, there’s one from The Associated Press that reads, “Man Charged with Stealing Wi-Fi Signal.” To quote the July 6 story: “Police have arrested a man for using someone else’s wireless Internet network in one of the first criminal cases involving this fairly common practice.”
It seems that Benjamin Smith III was arrested this past April on charges of unauthorized access to a computer network, which in his state of Florida is a third degree felony. Smith was found sitting in his car outside of the home of Richard Dinon, accessing the home’s unsecured Wi-Fi signal with his laptop computer.
Oh, man! This unlucky guy must feel like the sole person tagged with a jaywalking ticket after following a thousand other people across the street! Like no one else has ever bummed a ride on someone else’s Wi-Fi signal before?
The news report doesn’t say exactly what Smith was doing on the network. (Sending spam? Stealing identity information? Downloading copyrighted videos? E-mailing his mother?) But he wasn’t charged with spamming, or fraud, or copyright infringement; he was charged with using Dinon’s in-home wireless signal without permission. Frankly, I’m stunned that the police would even acknowledge this as a crime, much less arrest the guy for it. Even Special Agent Bob Breeden of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s computer crime division says the arrest is rare. “It’s so new statistics are not kept,” Breeden is quoted as saying in the St Petersburg Times.
Yes, it is a crime to use someone else’s network – wired or wireless – without authorization from the owner. If Smith is successfully prosecuted, this will have big implications for the Wi-Fi world. Like, if I go to a McDonald’s with Wi-Fi access for its customers and I don’t buy any McFood but I do fire up my laptop, is my access to the network considered authorized or not, since I’m technically not a customer? What if I squat on the street outside Mickey D’s? Authorized or not? Can I be arrested?
Somehow, I don’t think this particular case will ever get to trial. If it did, Smith’s lawyer would have a field day with the evidence. Yes, Dinon did own the wireless network. No, he never set up basic security for it. By his own admission, Dinon knew what to do to secure the network, but he didn’t “because my neighbors are older.” Does this mean only young guys mooch network access while old folks play bingo?
Seriously, what this case does do is to draw attention to the fact that many home computer users are unnecessarily placing themselves at huge risk by not securing their home networks with even the most rudimentary steps. The even bigger concern – at least from your perspective – might be for the home-based worker who is handling corporate data or other confidential information over this same unsecured home network. You never know who is sitting in the car outside your employee’s house. At the very least, make sure your employees use a VPN.
If you still want to deploy a wireless network at home, you can find a list of security tips here: https://www.forcefieldwireless.com/tips.html.
Wireless networking for the home is relatively new, fun and convenient. (My husband enjoys sitting outside next to the pool while he checks his e-mail.) Just make sure it’s properly secured to keep the unauthorized drive-by users away. After all, the police can’t be everywhere, ready to arrest the next guy with a laptop and stolen access.
Linda Musthaler is vice president of Currid & Company. You can write to her at mailto:Linda.Musthaler@currid.com
