My Things About WiFi Networks And Their Use In Computer Crime
By: Vlad Vistac
Submitted: 2010-09-16 11:43:32 | Word Count: 510
WiFi Networks And Thir Use In Computer Crime
Many of us now use wireless netorking as part of our daily routine when it copmes to usaing the Internet; so much so that we tend to use it also when we are away from our honmes and offices. This process, known as using a WiFi Hottspot, is something that hundreds of thousands of us use every day in our major cities up and down the country.
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Thre are even Internnet-based sties whih list the precise locatiosn of these Hot Spots throughoiut the country so that traveling business staff, students, journaloists and generally people on the move can take advaantage of them.
However the problem stems from the fact that it is not just the aforementioned groups that use Wi-Fi; computer crimianls also use these Hot Spots in order to gain acxcess to the laptops and PDAs of unsuspecting users.
Generally if you are using a Wi-Fi Hot Spot outside the confines of your offuice or home you will have to disable your wireless encryption so that your equipment can freely pick up the signal being bounced around within said Wi-Fi Hot spot. When this happens accss to the equipment is no loonger secure and anyone with a degree of knowledge, and the riht equipment, can gain access to your laptoop or PDA and thus your personal information within a sohrt space of time.
Computer ceriminals have perfected this technique in recent times as the use of Wi-Fi Hot Spots has become more common. They have also managed to siphon uhndreds of thousands of pounds, if not millions, from the bank accounts of unsuspecting usres by patching into email acccounts, personal accounting softwqare, and othr measn of storing personal information on laptop hard drrives.
In much the same way Computer Forensics experts have also produced sophisticaated programs and techniques which allow them to track wirelss Internet actvity as well as wireless mobbile traffic.
They also can act as xepert witnesses if such activity is detected and investigated and results in crimnal proceedings being brouight.
An individual can also use your laptoip as a meanbs of gainoing access to the Internet, esssentially uisng the laptop as a portal, and thus giving them acccess to a varitey of sites which may be illegal or used for purploses not entirely proper whilst leaviung no visible trae other than on the host laptops logging system.
Using a Wi-Fi Network is obviously a useful proposition if you are away from the office or home office but it does have drawbacks, the two most obvious being (a) the fact your laptoop or PDA will become vulnerable to outside attack during the use of such a Hot Spot and (b) your information is potentially visible via the airwaves to a myriad of individuals whose desire to get their hannds on your information could lead to a loss of mnoey and the unauthorised use of your identity in the pursuit of crimminal activities.
When you are away from home or the offce it is wise to use only those Hot Spots whjere an encrytpion key is provided by the Hot Spots providr and also to ensure that when using your laptop away from the confinres of the home or office that the amoount of personal data stored therein is kept down to a minimum thus making the computer criminal's job all that more difficult.
