Is your home broadband secure?

[BigED]

If you don't already have it protected, it might be worth putting password protection on your broadband. There's a young guy hangs around regularly near the junction of Silvester Road and Crystal Palace Road with his laptop. From what I could see he's just watching youtube but he is there for an hour or two at a time. I realise that there may be an entirely innocent explanation for someone propping their laptop on a telephone juntion box and surfing the net, but I don't see a mobile/dongle attachment so I assume he's not surfing using his own provision (and it would be an odd place to stop if he were). So, if it's your broadband he's chipping into, put a password on. He may not be doing anything sinister, but who else is using your broadband, and for what? I assume this guy doesn't know he can use the library for free.

[pinecone]

next time you see him, engage him in smalltalk

[Penguin68]

If he has access to BT broadband at home then he may be legitimately using the BT-FON network - there people who want to can open up spare capacity on their own BT broadband wireless system (which is otherwise entirely fire-walled so secure) - in exchange for being able to use BT-FON capacity from other people. It's a secure way of sharing spare capacity in exchange for using that of others - quite useful if your travelling.

But equally he could be using an unsecure network, and if it isn't secured then he also may be able to hack in to private data.

[womanofdulwich]

while we are on the subject i think there is wep and wap and I cant remember which is better and how you up grade form one to the other. can anyone help?

thanks

[nunhead_man]

Depends on your router

Here on our Vigor 2920 we use WPA2 / PSK

Type 8~63 ASCII character or 64 Hexadecimal digits leading by "0x", for example "cfgs01a2..." or "0x655abcd....".

[pinecone]

womanofdulwich, WPA or WPA2 is more secure than WEP

[Landy10]

I've actually seen him there a couple of times too and thought exactly the same thing - that he's stumbled across an open Internet connection. It is a really weird place to hang out with a computer!

[Bic Basher]

I can get the BT-FON wi-fi signal inside my flat. According to BT's wi-fi hotspot finder, the nearest base station is in Dulwich Village.

[nunhead_man]

And sorry - log on to router with local address and password (you DID set one? ) change the security level, put in loooong password and reboot if needed.

Then apologise to daughters and boyfriends who now cannot surf via Wifi, set up guest access and go back to listening to the Archers :-)

[womanofdulwich]

doh I have got a password-whats a local address? ( shocking aren't I? )

[nunhead_man]

Errr - no idea - one of the usual local IP addresses - e.g. 192.168.x.x

[JohnL]

In the age before there was internet for all there used to be maps of where you could

pick up a free signal - and they were in the strangest places.

Also a few years ago WEP especially was easily hacked (bootable hack CDs were common)

- So I wouldn't trust that - but a few years later (i.e. now) I'd think WPA2 is cracked.

You can tie down MAC addresses.

Landy10 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I've actually seen him there a couple of times too

> and thought exactly the same thing - that he's

> stumbled across an open Internet connection. It is

> a really weird place to hang out with a computer!

[AcedOut]

Perhaps he's packet sniffing.

[El Pibe]

A colleague of mine got very annoyed with his neighbour, logged on to his unsecured wifi, logged onto his router with default admin/password credentials.

Switched on security, changed credentials, logged out.

Job done.

[KidKruger]

I think that lad lives in that property, it was hot days he was outside I believe. Possibly the flat doesn't have through-air so gets a bit stuffy.

[GinaG3]

A lot of people don't protect their internet connections as they should. I can readily access a lot of wifi networks when I'm out and about and need to try and hop on somewhere although I don't like to take advantage of peoples lack of security so I don't. Many others do though.

Of course in the day and age of hotspots you cant assume someone is 'stealing' others internet. BT has 5 million hot spots in the UK alone, that can get you a connection almost anywhere. People park up right outside my mums house (on a very busy main road, with no parking in a popular seaside town) just to use the designated BT hotspot coming out of her kitchen and sit there for up to 2 hours taking up her parking space!!!

Looking on BT hotspots there is actually a hotspot right on that corner, Dulwich is a dense hotspot area, they are everywhere. I can see 12 hotspots on Crystal Palace road alone.

[BigED]

GinaG3 Wrote:

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> Looking on BT hotspots there is actually a hotspot

> right on that corner, Dulwich is a dense hotspot

> area, they are everywhere. I can see 12 hotspots

> on Crystal Palace road alone.

Well well well. Shows how up-to-date I am. I still say it's an odd place to stop and use a laptop, but I agree that, with GinaG3's info, there is no reason to assume the guy is using someone else's wifi/broadband connections without consent.

That said, I'm still making sure my password is on.

[DulwichFox]

BigED Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> If you don't already have it protected, it might

> be worth putting password protection on your

> broadband. There's a young guy hangs around

> regularly near the junction of Silvester Road and

> Crystal Palace Road with his laptop. From what I

> could see he's just watching youtube but he is

> there for an hour or two at a time.

There was a guy there about an hour or so ago.

Resting his laptop on the Telephone Cabinet.

Not familiar with cabinet connectors or if it would be possible to make an internet connection

should he be able open the cabinet.

He was wearing ear phones.. The small ones that fit in your ears.

Foxy

[lane lover]

Firstly, I dont think this guy is sinister. I dont see the need to jump to conclusions. Many modern laptops have built in wifi devices, so no need for a dongle. There are a number of explanations.

But it does bring up the point of security. Most people have unlimited broadband, so it wont cost you extra if someone is using your wifi. The main risk is security, and also if the person downloads illegal material. If the downloads are traced back to your wifi, it could mean serious criminal issues.

Always use a secure password. Its commonsense.

[DulwichFox]

May not be internet related. Could be using customer lines. (2 wire copper) to make long distant calls.

DulwichFox.

[BigED]

When I saw him, the junction cabinet was closed and I didn't see any wires coming from the cabinet. And when I walked by, he was playing what looked like a youtube music video. I suspect it isn't anything sinister and if he is using a hotspot legitimately then there is no problem. And if people password protect access to their internet/wifi connections then there needn't be any problem.

[AcedOut]

"Many modern laptops have built in wifi devices"

lol, you be hard pressed to find any that don't!

[DulwichFox]

Still do not get WHY?? anyone would regularly take their Laptop and stand on a street corner.

Why that location. ??

Does sound kind of strange.

One answer COULD ? be he is downloading Music or illegal Software from sites such as 'Warez'

and does not want to be tracked.

People are responsible for their Internet Security.

Failing to provide secure access COULD ? leave you open to prosecution for Violation of Copywright law.

Foxy

[giggirl]

The guy stands almost directly outside of my house so it does creep me out a bit. My broadband is password protected of course but even so, there's a guy on a laptop right outside my home on a regular basis.

[peristalsis]

giggirl, you could check what wifi networks are available in the location, and whether any of them are unsecured.