Wardriving & Warchalking: What are they?

Wardriving and Warchalking: What are they?

Wardriving or warwalking is an old art of driving or walking around a business or residential area looking for an open or unprotected wireless network to find details such as location, signal strength, channel, and what type of security is used on the network.

This process can be used for two purposes, one to perform a survey of available channels and signal strength in advance of setting up a wireless network for a business, (the good guys); the other is an attempt to cause hate and discontent in a malicious attempt to steal information from the network such as SSN, bank information, or perhaps family information (these are the bad guys).

Warchalking is also an older practice in which a person roams an area and finds an unsecure network, then places a chalk mark on the pavement or an obscured wall for future use by hackers or just an individual wanting to use the network signal.

As mentioned previously, these practices can be used for good or bad intentions. If a consulting company is preparing to install a network for a business or the like, the consultant would perform a site survey checking for signal strength, and channel availability. Doing so would prevent the interference of other networks from neighboring businesses, thus making the new network more secure. We don’t really need to mention the hackers, we all know they are out there.

As far as legal ramifications go, the Connecticut laws/regulations publication from June 28, 2012 states:

Someone who hacks into another person's computer could be punished by a number of different crimes, depending on the circumstances. The law punishes hacking under the computer crime statutes. These crimes carry penalties ranging from a class B misdemeanor (punishable by up to six months in prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or both) to a class B felony (punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $15,000, or both). The law also punishes unauthorized access to a computer or computer network, with penalties ranging from a class B misdemeanor to a class D felony (punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both).

A number of generally applicable crimes could also apply. For example, hacking could be done to commit identity theft or larceny and it could be punished under those generally applicable crimes.

In addition to criminal penalties, the law specifically authorizes someone harmed by a computer or unauthorized use crime to bring a civil lawsuit against the perpetrator. These civil actions are in addition to any other grounds for a civil action that the injured party may have.

So in the end, just don’t hack, and if you do…just don’t get caught. Just kidding here!! This world has enough problems with people going where they don’t belong.

And without going into more commentary, I’m glad you stopped by today, hope this blog was helpful. Have a nice day.

References:

Rogers, Bobby E. CompTIA Mobility Certification: Exam Guide (exam MB0-001). Print. Chapter 8

"PENALTIES FOR COMPUTER HACKING." PENALTIES FOR COMPUTER HACKING. Web. 09 Mar. 2016. <https://www.cga.ct.gov/2012/rpt/2012-R-0254.htm>.

For further up todate information-check out

http://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information-technology/computer-hacking-and-unauthorized-access-laws.aspx