Wardriving From 1500ft Up 156
luciensims writes "Wireless networking blog e3.com.au is running a story about a few of their members flying a private aircraft 1500ft above Perth, Western Australia. They found over 90 access points. Details are here."
Ok, they find the access point and then.... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Ok, they find the access point and then.... (Score:2, Funny)
The same way pigeons do it?
shouldnt that be.... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:D'uh. We don't have enough war(foo)ing. (Score:1, Funny)
Good thing it's not in the USA! (Score:1, Funny)
Link doesn't work (Score:1)
rul3z (Score:1)
The earth is not flat but warflyers are.
Helping the SYSOPS, is there a standard? (Score:4, Insightful)
> available on open/insecure WLAN netbios networks and print out "Your Wireless Network is insecure,
> Please fix it!"?
This might be helpful to the local sysop. This printout can be shown to his (her)
On the other hand, it could rase the question why the sysop didn't
What is the
Re:Helping the SYSOPS, is there a standard? (Score:1)
Re:Helping the SYSOPS, is there a standard? (Score:1)
Re:Helping the SYSOPS, is there a standard? (Score:2)
Re:Helping the SYSOPS, is there a standard? (Score:2)
Shoot the good samaritan (Score:2)
Probably a nice, and polite thing to do, but it could end up with you in jail for life -- especially if you warn a government office (using unauthorized access to a government computer to cause a change in (security) policy).
POLICE!. FREEZE!
Keep your hands in the air, and step away from the computer!
So let me get this straight.. (Score:1, Troll)
And they didn't have decent servers to handle a Slashdotting?
Oh, this is Australia. Never mind.
Re:So let me get this straight.. (Score:1)
Re:So let me get this straight.. (Score:1)
Not really all that expensive for the amount of fun you can have and a far cry from a private jet.
They used... (Score:2)
Slashdotted (Score:1)
Re:Slashdotted (Score:3, Funny)
e3 is currently down for maintenance. Please try again in 30 minutes.
In other words, the server exploded into a pile of twisted wire,metal,and silicon.
they're trying to build another one.
no google cache available at this time. Besides, the page is served via php..
new found use! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:new found use! (Score:2)
Wait till the FBI puts out a warning about this: Watch out for low flying aircraft trying to sniff your network, er, um never mind...
Re:new found use! (Score:1)
Orthanc
Next on slashdot: (Score:2, Interesting)
Fbi warns of wireless (again)
From the well-duh dept
Fbi agents warn: If you see plane circeling you office, check your pavement for chalkmarks! [slashdot.org] If they are there, then you should check your wireless accespoint`s manual under the topic importand, must read, security!! on the first page
Also, think of the potential of hooking radio controled helicopters/planes up with wireless, give them some ai [sourceforge.net] and a phone home by wireless+internet feature and you can send it everywhere in the western world, just let it ask for its next waypoint (any big city) by e-mail
Re:Hey you, get off of my cloud (Score:1)
Defcon (Score:5, Interesting)
check here:
http://www.securitytribe.com/wardrive.html
and results from the contest here:
http://www.dis.org/wl/score.txt
Geez. (Score:5, Funny)
What an aggressive society we have become!
Re:Geez. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Geez. (Score:1, Informative)
I've heard it said that the term 'wardialer' is related to the film 'Wargames' - in which the lead character wardials his way into a DOD computer system. I don't know if the relationship between the movie title and the term is true, though. BTW, if you've never seen the film, don't bother; it's crap.
That said, the parent post would get a +1 funny from me if it actually were funny. But it ain't insightful.
Re:Geez. (Score:1)
Wardriving, however, is sort of a guerilla tactic. It's not entirely legit but it is a good thing. "Take to the routers and the warchalks." (Yeah, I've been reading that Sterling speech a lot.)
As for the film, the way I heard it was that the practise got it's name from the film and the film got it's name from a game that's played in the movie.
I thought the film was good, I recommend it.
Re:Geez. (Score:2)
A few examples:
- WarBusiness
- WarMac
- WarMail
- W2W: war-to-war
- WarML
- FreeWar
-
-
I'm sure you can come up with yours...
Dave
Re:Geez. (Score:2)
Dave
WarPosting (Score:1)
A new website is in the works to catalog all WarPosts and will go online next week.
Meanwhile, here's a short description of the signatures:
(*) WarPost with comments
(!) WarPost to gain karma points
(O) WarPost without any comments
(l7) WarPost from one who wants to be cool too.
(!=) WarPost from Perl writer.
(<?) WarPost from PHP writer.
(<) Warpost from Windows "webmaster"
And now for the post:
(*)
Done
Bastards.. (Score:2, Interesting)
heheh.. I guess your gonna get that upgrade you were talking about now aye?
This is stupid (Score:4, Funny)
Re:This is stupid (Score:1)
wireless from the air (Score:2)
Re:wireless from the air (Score:1)
Re:wireless from the air (Score:1)
Re:wireless from the air (Score:1)
Re:wireless from the air (Score:2)
On the other hand, the FAA says it's dangerous [cs.net].
Re:wireless from the air (Score:3, Insightful)
Although it would be REALLY fucking annoying if cellphones were allowed. I already have trouble sleeping on the plane as I somehow always pick the seat RIGHT in front of the "seat kicker baby". Not only is it a "seat kicker baby" it has a mother/father that is a "seat kicker baby's parent who doesn't care when the person in front of them asks them to restrain their child". Imagine 99% of the plane talking to people on the phone. Grr.
Re:wireless from the air (Score:1)
Re:wireless from the air (Score:1)
Re:wireless from the air (Score:1)
I am a pilot (Score:5, Informative)
Cell Phones can and occasionally do interfere with the NAV-COM radios, but most of the time they do not. However, I recall one time when a friend hadn't turned off his phone and I couldn't hear the tower as a result, despite the fact that I was sitting on the ramp only three hundred yards/meters away. As soon as he turned his cell off, reception was fine, so it can and does interefere rather catopstrophically at times, when conditions are right.
I haven't measured VOR-DME deviations due to cell phones, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if they didn't interfere with navigational signals as well, when conditions are right. That could potentially be catastrophic during flight in IMC (instrument) conditions, particularly if there were terrain nearby.
In any event, alll that is rare. Most of the time cell phones will at most add a little static to the transmission or reception, and often they won't interfere noticably at all.
That is only half the picture, however.
The FCC has made it illegal to use cell phones in the air because one phone call can occupy a slot in several cells at the same time, vastly decreasing the call capacity of the system.
Two hundred people on a jumbo jet using cell phones could well equal 20,000 people on the ground. It clobbers the cellular system, and is sufficiently bad that the FCC has made a regulation against using such phones in flight. The FAAs regulation is basically "obey the FCC regulation."
Of course, if it is an emergency, FAA regulations clearly state that any (FAA) rule may be violated if the saftey of the flight requires doing so. The FCC might not be as flexible, but in a true emergency I for one wouldn't worry about it, and use the damn thing anyway if I needed to.
Re:I am a pilot (Score:1)
I don't know if that is true or not, however there does not seem to a problem with passenger planes installing cell phones. They run the antenna to the outside of the plane and then charge you 3 or 4 dollars a minute for using it. Some people think that they are just using the excuse of cell phones interferring with a planes electronics so that you have to use their installed phone.
Besides if planes are really that vulnerable to outside interference it is a good indication that they should probalbly should address the issue. It is only getting to worse with more and more companies wanting to use the wireless spectrum.
What if gets to the point that all a real terrorist needs a small electronic device that will interfer with the planes equipment. Make it look like a cell phone and they would never find it. I would assume that would be a bigger danger and easier to do than someone carrying a couple lbs of TNT with thier luggage. They really need to address the issue of interference with a planes electronics.
Re:I am a pilot (Score:1)
I have heard (unsubstatiated rumour here) that using a cell phone while in the air can net you free calls.
Presumably because the handoff from cell to cell happens much quicker than the billing system can detect. Or more likely, it assumes that such short connections are failures, and errs on the side of caution.
Please note, this is a rumour. Don't call Norway on your cell just because I said this
Re:I am a pilot (Score:1)
Re:I am a pilot (Score:2)
I too have forgotten to turn my cell phone off a time or two, and it didn't cause a problem.
Nevertheless, the "anectdote" I described is very real. If you dismiss the experience of other pilots as anectdotes you are doing yourself a real disservice
If you do feel the need for more technical background, I suggest you begin your studies by referencing radio harmonics, radio interference, jamming techniques, as well as basic electromagetic refraction and reflection. (HINT: radios on vastly different frequencies can and do jam one another on occasion, when conditions are right. It is a myth that, to jam a signal, the jamming signal needs to be on or near the same frequency. That is the easiest, most common scenerio, but by no means the only one).
Re:I am a pilot (Score:1)
But I do work in telecoms and I'm a qualified yacht navigator (yes that is relevant, bear with me!)
Anyone who knows anything knows that a square wave can be assumed to be a series of sine waves added together.
Why is this important - well a digital signal is what most modern phones will be sending out has lots of nasty harmonics due to its digital nature. (I know most of the US still uses TACS or other such things, I'm talking about GSM/UMTS okay?)
Now if you hold this next to electronics any piece of wire that is an integral number of wavelenghts to a harmonic is going to get an induced current - this is the way antenna work.
Now I have seen this happen in yachts - I have watched a GPS right in front of my eyes reset and lock up as my own phone recieved a text message. I tested it later in port I found that it could disrupt the GPS and cause nastyness on the VHF radio.
I expect that some of the logic circuits had tracks the right length to get a pulse big enough to be seen as a logic state / and there was break through on the anaolgue side of the radio.
Now the stuff in aircraft aint greatly different from this. Draw your own conclusions.
I also used to work for a large UK based aero engine manufacturer (go on, guess we only have one!) - I know how much testing the electronics in engine control systems is tested to.
A modern airframe is a metal box - if you don't understand the term 'Faraday Cage' then go look it up now. In essence it means that any RF energy broadcast in the body essentially stays inside until it finds an area to escape. This vastly increases its chance of interfering with electronics, and also puts your phone to full power to try and overcome the 'interference'.They don't put antenna on the outside of airframes for fun, but because they have to.
Now the aircraft manufacturer has spent a long time carefully testing and integrating the electronics in that airframe to make sure they don't interfer - this is why aircraft electronics are expensive. They have not tested, nor have any control over what electronics you bring on board.
Now in risk management you assess two terms - the possibility of the risk happening and the consequences of that risk. The possibility that phones could interfer with radios/nav instruments/engine systems is real, but unlikely (use of computers probably negligable) Now way that up against the consequences of a systems failure on an aircraft full of people and fuel at just after its taken off. I think the world perhaps understands better the last 12 months just how dangerous that situation can be. In any other mode of transport you can stop and sort out the problem, in the air you get one chance.
If I'm flying transatlantic and you feel making a call, or playing minesweeper is worth risking mine and 300 peoples lives for, forgive me if I don't agree with you.
Note:
In this story the guys involved knew what they were doing and accepted the risk - thats thier choice. Also I don't think the systems on a Grumman Tiger are vital for its flight, just navigation, so its not like they put anyone on the ground at risk. However, not being able to hear the tower is like playing in the middle of the freeway...
Re:I am a pilot (Score:1)
Mountain tops (Score:2)
The real reason they baneed devices during takeoff (Score:1)
The funny thing is that VORs and ILS systems operate at a frequency just barely above the FM broadcast band. It was discoved that the IF frequency of a cheap FM radio tuned to the upper end of the broadcast band was strong enough to disturb the ILS receiver onboard the craft and put it off course at a very critical time; namely landing, when 50 ft. of error can be fatal.
Nowadays, the ILS/VOR recievers are better as are the average FM radio. Private pilots flying planes sporting radio equipment much crappier than your average 737 has commonly fly with portable GPS recievers and operating laptop computers with no problem.
So yes, with the exception of devices capable of high powered transmit (old cell phones, CBs, Ham and aircraft band trancievers), the ban on electronic devices during takeoff and landing is still enforced to get the passengers to pay attention to the flight attendent. The FAA just won't admit that.
Re:wireless from the air (Score:1)
A malfunctioning mobile phone could radiate on frequencies used for navigation. Equipment uesd in aircraft is of high quality and can detect jamming. Backup systems can be used. For the confort of other passengers, it is best that the present policy to remain in force. It is bad enough on the train to have a half-dozen passengers talking about nothing!
Using certain equipment, like an FM radio, can transmit on the VOR navigation frequencies. If the pilot is for some reason not aware his VOR is being jammed it can be disasterous on overland flights. In this same thought, it is possibly unsafe to use a laptop and many other common computer products like CD/mp3 players.
Re:wireless from the air (Score:1)
Re:wireless from the air (Score:2)
Operating your cell phone on the ground ensures distance to neighboring cells is enforced, only using the nearest neighbor. Signaling to your cell phone adjusts the power output to a reasonable level to save your batteries and airspace. This is completely defeated when you are up in the air and pretty much the same distance to *all* towers. Its like jamming the entire network. And I believe cell phone use in the air is illegal just because of this.
Re:wireless from the air (Score:1)
Re:wireless from the air (Score:2)
Re:wireless from the air (Score:1)
Wireless in Perth (Score:3, Informative)
I'm lucky to get 30 metres (100ft) range from my Apple Airport gear..
Re:Wireless in Perth (Score:1)
Slashdotted, here's what I could recover (Score:4, Informative)
posted by Jason Jordan on Sunday August 18 2002 @ 05:14AM WST
Projects
[link to pictures] [pcguru.com.au]
We did it! It's gotta be a first! We don't need no car to car WLAN's - we go WarDriving at 250km/h in an aircraft... 8-)
Cap'n Richard, Will (Yagi), Peterh & me took "IGI" - a Grumman Tiger 4 seat aircraft [flightclub.com.au] up to 1500ft and flew around Perth picking up AP's with Netstumbler running on an Handheld Ipaq/Cantenna and Kismet on a Toshiba Tecra 9000 with built-in Antenna.
We stopped at Rotto first for a quick run to the Bakery, but then it was on. We got 92 AP's with Kismet... and 95 with NetStumbler.
You can check out the photos by clicking the link below. There is also an image generated by Cap'n Richard to demonstrate the track we took around Perth available on the Rogues site.
You can check out the Kismet & NetStumbler logs for yourself:Note: The Kismet dump file is not included for security reasons. After reviewing it, I found IRC conversations, emails and clear netbios traffic for known local Perth users. I will follow up with them to "improve" their security.
Speaking of security... I wonder how ethical it would be to code up a script that maps to printers available on open/insecure WLAN netbios networks and print out "Your Wireless Network is insecure, Please fix it!"?
I know what the law says so I'd never do it... but it would give the sysadmins pause wouldn't it ... 8-)
Reposted on Sunday August 18 2002 @ 05:14AM WST
Re:Slashdotted, here's what I could recover (Score:2)
I think they would have to clean up a lot more shit than just their WLAN's security
Re:Slashdotted, here's what I could recover (Score:2)
An annoying crack to enforce security a bad thing? I'd love to see this.
Isn't this sort of thing a little irresponsible? (Score:1)
Every time some thing cool comes up, it seems lke it suddenly becomes cool to find ways to misuse it under the guise of hacking.
Wireless networks are a great innovation which will be destroyed by a bunch of geeks with pringles cans on the roof of their cars.
Oooh, Sponsorship! (Score:1, Funny)
The next time you're buyig prongles, don't be surprised to see: Original, Sour Cream & Onion, BBQ, and High Gain.
Re:Isn't this sort of thing a little irresponsible (Score:1)
And WLAN isnt destroyed, as much as i know, you can secure a WLAN properly.
But there are open WLANs wich can be easily hacked by crackers. You wont change anything by keeping silent about this.
Re:Isn't this sort of thing a little irresponsible (Score:1)
Sounds a lot like the old "information wants to be free" warcry that every punk hacker uses as justification to post porn all over the web sites they deface.
Re:Isn't this sort of thing a little irresponsible (Score:1, Informative)
e3 webserver (Score:2, Informative)
Anyone want to send a server?
Re:e3 webserver (Score:2)
I think Slashdot has milked those teets dry! Or is that "Beef, it's what's for dinner".
Warchalking at 1500ft (Score:1)
Automated warflying? (Score:4, Interesting)
A model plane, processor, wireless card, directional antenna and GPS. Send the drone off to scout for access ponts -- either email the data back using the access points found or download the data after the drone returns.
This'd be great on vacations. If it's fast enough, send it ahead of you on your intended route, and leapfrog from one access point to the next. If it's too slow, send it out on reccy mission when you stop for the night. By the time you're checked in & done with dinner you'll know where to go to get on the net.
Re:Automated warflying? (Score:1)
Re:Automated warflying? (Score:2)
Re:Automated warflying? (Score:2)
Right, I DO have a life, right? Occasionally?!
Thanks for the reminder. I do occasionally remember to not take the PC, PDA & cellphone. Not often enough, though.
Go Perth! (Score:2, Troll)
It's clear that Perth is really making great progress in the wireless community - we're ahead of the rest of Australia in terms of size of the network and interest per capita and we're really starting to link the state up.
While the wireless communities in other states are arguing over how they're going to incorporate or how they're going to manipulate everyone politically - here in WA we're focusing on actually making it work with no one person running the show. Decisions are made by the consensus, not an individual voted in to speak on our behalf. People contribute because they're interested and keen to help out.
It's seeing initiatives like this warflying expedition which really makes me glad to be a part of the Perth wireless community!
Go Perth!
don't do it! (Score:1)
I recall Apple, when Airport first came out, plugging Airport for gaming - two users could sit on a plane and play a network game using a direct 802.11b connection. One of the big aeronautical manufacturers found out (apparently one of the relevant employees was perusing their site) and got on to them quick smart about it. The plug (in an interview with Apple's old head of gaming, Kathy Tafel, IIRC) was quickly pulled of the site.
In short: using 802.11b on an aeroplane is dangerous. don't do it!
cheers
-- james
Re:don't do it! (Score:2)
Agreed. (Score:2)
These things are built to withstand *LIGHTNING* hitting the aircraft.
A small plane might have problems, not a commercial airliner.
The cell phone restrictions are FCC regulations due to interference to towers caused by high-flying phones.
Just don't use it during takeoff/landing, that's when the more "sensitive" navigation electronics are used (which is why NOTHING can be turned on then.)
With the pilot's permission, many people have used amateur band handhelds on airplanes to help them get WAS (Worked All States) and WAC (Worked All Counties, not Countries) on VHF/UHF. You're talking 5 watts here, not even a misconfigured 802.11 card can come close to this, and it's far closer to the airliner's comm frequencies too. Of course, ham HTs are typically pretty high-end RF-wise because hams are picky about performance.
Re:don't do it! (Score:2)
Re:don't do it! (Score:1)
My opinion is that the airlines are scared to death of lawsuits. If a plane goes down and people were allowed to use 802.11 onboard they would get sued out of existance becaue "everybody knows that using portable electronics onboard aircraft is dangerous." There's not much proof of it, but "everybody knows it!"
wardriving - the chic scriptkiddie activity (Score:1)
What part of "scriptkiddie" is a low-level, lifeform similar to scum that these hipsters don't get?
The 'l33+ $ki77z d0odz behind the above unmentioned tool have been in the irc scene for a number of years. A scene not known for legal use of other folk's servers.
Leaving the MPAA and the RIAA and their arguments out of this. This type of activity is often cited as justification for enacting the draconian laws that we all hate.
It is primarily this activity that is being used by the Media and others (not friends of wireless) to spread FUD about how wireless is not to be trusted and is a giant security hole. Wireless is our only hope of getting out from under the thumb of the telecos. (Telecos == that ever increasing bill you have been paying every month, all of your life.)
Want to have to submit DNA sample to your "trusted computing platform" so that you can log on? Then support this type of scriptkiddie activity.
--
I think, therefore, ken_i_m
Re:wardriving - or its a Site Survey (Score:1)
As my reference to "draconian laws" indicates the last thing I am suggesting is a legal bandaid. I am questioning what appears to be a lack of thinking through the implications of what is being done.
As for the fallacious argument of using such a tool for a site survey, it is very weak. Wireless networks are not even the majority of usage in the spectrums in question. Ask anyone who actually does site surveying (for a WISP, for example) and they will tell you that the proper tool is a spectrum analyzer.
There are some wireless equipment vendors that promote the use of propietary protocols as a defense against wardriving. If the use of Netstumbler continues to grow as a "kewl" thing to do these vendors may well succeed. Then there will be a fine mess of incompatible equipment and protocols holding back the adoption of wireless.
Yes, the security of the 802.11x protocols needs to be improved. "Warchalking" and "netstumbling" does not contribute in a positive manner to that improvement.
I would no more welcome making the use of such programs illegal then I do laws against smoking (Disclaimer: I am and always have been a non-smoker). Yet, like smoking I would gently discourage its use. Which is what I am doing by questioning the rising tide of the acceptance of such practice.
(BTW, I define "hacking" in the manner of the old schoolers, which is why I used the term "scriptkiddie". "Cracker" could also be used.)
not sure I can do this (Score:2)
I'm not sure how my instructor would respond the next time I go up if I brought my laptop and told him 'I want to fly over the city at 1,500 feet.'
Re:not sure I can do this (Score:2)
Wardriving Espionage? (Score:2)
Handheld war[whatever]ing on the PalmOS? (Score:2)
Anyone know of / developing a PalmOS 802.11b sniffer?
Perth is just a small town.... (Score:1)
what's so special about that? (Score:1)
Pffft, amateurs.
I've wardriven anywhere from 4500ft to 5000ft up. I plan to go up to about 9000ft, but I doubt I'll find many access points from that elevation.
Huh? Planes? What? I thought we were talking about elevation. See, I live in the Reno/Tahoe area... :)
WarCircles? (Score:1)
Surely reception != ability to talk back? (Score:1)
So doesn't the same thing happen with 802.11?
Yeah so? (Score:2)
I can see it now... (Score:1)
What do you boys want to hire the plane for??
We're going Warflying!!!!
Give me those keys back......
Re:Well, this is depressing (Score:1)
My Mother lives in Perth an I must agree it is always painful to leave this beatiful city! The Photos they took were a nice reminder of my last visit...
BTW, I live in Germany which is quite a contrast as you can imagine.
Re:Tsunami? (Score:1)