SI
SI
discoversearch

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor.  We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community.  If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.
Pastimes : Home Networks Learning -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: Gottfried who wrote (65)10/9/2002 10:54:44 PM
From: SIer formerly known as Joe B.  Respond to of 69
 
Wi-Fi "wartrappers" nab drive-by hackers

By Peter Judge
ZDNet (UK)
October 9, 2002, 11:00 AM PT
zdnet.com.com

A "honeypot" trap consisting of a Wi-Fi-equipped laptop is the latest weapon against drive-by hackers. Set up at the London headquarters of consultants KPMG, the laptop looks to the outside world like a simple wireless access point, but contains monitoring software designed to determine the level of illicit activity.
"We are trying to measure the number of wardrivers, and the level of attack they are attempting," said Michael van Strien of KPMG, revealing the device at the RSA security conference in Paris. He plans to publish some results in the next month or two, which will give an idea of the level of the much discussed threat of "wardriving", where hackers outside an office gain access to unsecured wireless access points. "We're looking at the number of hits and how many try to get network addresses," said van Strien.

The honeypot will be a laptop with a Prism wireless LAN card, which can act as a Wi-Fi access point. The laptop will have no other network connection, but will appear to the hacker as a possible entry point to the corporate network.

Van Strien plans to run several honeypots in different offices across London, and move them about within the buildings, so that if wardrivers become aware of their existence they will not know for sure which are real access points and which are honeypots. If successful, he plans to package the honeypot up as a security tool for corporate Wi-Fi users. "It needs a beautiful user interface," he said.

One conference delegate noted that if the idea takes off, it is easy to imagine that the hacker community will respond with a new warchalking symbol. Perhaps, he remarked, this would be a "Pooh" style honeypot marked on the pavement where a honeypot is suspected. KPMG also launched a managed security service at the RSA conference. "This goes beyond monitoring services such as those offered by Counterpane or Unisys," said KPMG partner Malcolm Marshall. "People were wary of handing security over to a third party, but those people have done a great job of raising awareness."

The service already has six customers but, as with most such services, they are not keen for their names to be made public.



To: Gottfried who wrote (65)11/12/2002 9:33:23 PM
From: nnillionaire  Respond to of 69
 
Linksys will be commercializing a 'signal booster' designed to work with their 802.11b Wireless AP and wireless router products:

linksys.com

I came across this info on the Linksys site while looking for an antenna modification that might boost signal strength/distance. If anyone knows of effective antenna mods, I would love to hear about them. FYI.

nnil