Wardriving/Wireless Networking

Wardriving is the 'art' of collecting data on wireless networks. This is usually done with the use of a wireless enabled laptop in a car running software such as NetStumbler. This software scans the air for networks and logs information such as the network's SSID, whether or not it is secured and the brand of Access Point. It can also be combined with a GPS receiver to log coordinates of where the network was discovered and plot the details on a map.
Wardriving itself is not malicious by any means however there are some individuals who look for networks to break into and use to their personal ends. I personally enjoy collecting the data, plotting it on a map and looking at the often amusing names people give their networks.
Wardriving can be done using completely standard equipment such as the built in wireless that comes in all modern laptops. For around £50 a high power high quality wireless card and high gain aerial can be bought allowing you to pick up far more networks than standard equipment ever could.

My Setup

I am lucky in that I work for a computer company who actually encourage us to try out geeky gadgets and the like especially if it can be justified for work use. Also as a service engineer I am rarely in the office and out driving around in my van. Therefore I can Wardrive almost constantly wherever I go!
I have an HP Pavillion laptop hidden under the passenger seat which is wired into the van's hifi and has an adapter to run it from the cigarette lighter.


It also has a USB GPS receiver on the roof and an Alveron wireless PCMCIA card which is based on the Orinoco Gold chipset connected to a 7dBi aerial on the roof.


My favourite part though is the 7 inch touch screen mounted on the dashboard. From here I can keep an eye on everything that is going on, load up MP3s that play through the hifi, use navigation software for the many occasions where I get lost and of course NetStumble.


Points in Securing Wireless

Securing your wireless setup is essential. Fortunately if you get a wireless router from your ISP they are always secured by default and usually have very simple instructions for connecting your computers. But if you go out and buy your own equipment things can get slightly more complicated. Unfortunately there is no one guide for setting up and securing a wireless network as every setup, manufacturer and even model is different but the principals are all the same. First of all READ THE MANUAL before you start! Most equipment will come with a 'quick start guide' but also a CD that will have a much more concise manual on it. Read it. Yes you might be bored to tears but it is important believe it or not.
Follow my quick points below; the more you use the better but number 1 is paramount!
  1. Use encryption. The higher the number the better, 256 bit is better than 128. WPA is better still.
  2. After connecting all your computers disable the SSID. Your computers will still find the network but others can't so easily.
  3. Turn off your Access Point when you aren't using it. For a company fit a timer plug to it and have it coming on only during business hours.
  4. Use MAC filtering. This will only allow specified computers access to the network.
  5. Update your firmware. All Access Points run software which is often updated. Sometimes it's for a spelling mistake but normally its to fix security problems which have been newly discovered and sometimes you may even get some new features!
With this all said and done I must say that even if all of my points are followed your network can still be hacked (apart from number 3!). WEP stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy and means just that. If you have a wired only network and someone wanted to hack it (without coming in through the internet) they would have to gain physical access to it, that is come into your house, plug in and start hacking. WEP stops every tom, dick and harry from using your network but it can still be broken into as WEP is not unbreakable by any means. The theory of cracking WEP is quite straight forward although carrying out a successful attack requires a fair amount of time and determination and not to mention physical proximity to the network. Chances are, and every security expert will be cringing at my next statement, that the average user will not be hacked unless your neighbours are total cheap skates and just want to use your internet connection for free. The very worst that can happen is for someone to crack your encryption then 'sniff' your network activity. Doing this allows the attacker to see everything you see like usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, MSN conversations the lot. I recommend that when using wireless, especially a public hotspot, you don't do anything you don't want anyone else to see.

Markinch Wardrive

Common SSIDs

These are some of the most common SSIDs I have found while on my travels with a description of what I believe they are.

SSID Description Link (If available)
eurospot Travel Inns and other hotels Link
2wireXXX Routers made by 2wire which used to be supplied with BT Broadband as standard. Default wireless on with WEP at 64 bits, the key is on a sticker on the bottom of the router Link
3com All 3com wireless equipment default Link
XXXXtownname Co-ops or Scot Mid shops
belkin54g Self explanatory. These seem to be very popular. WEP off by default.
BTHomeHub-XXX The new wireless routers supplied by BT. Its the funny looking white thing. WEP is on by default. They are apparently based on a Voyager router which makes sense being from BT.
BTOpenZone A subscription based public access point. All McDonald's have them and a lot of cafes. The will be a sign up with the OpenZone logo near by Link
BTVoyager2XXX-XX Standard wireless routers supplied by BT and AOL. WEP is on by default but no-one ever changes the default passwords as these things don't require any configuration
G640T_WIRELESS DLink. WEP is off by default Link
hpsetup These are always in ad-hoc mode and I THINK they are wireless HP printers in default configuration
Linksys All Linksys wireless equipment Link
Livebox-XXX Orange's standard wireless router
NETGEAR All Netgear wireless equipment Link
pidXXXXXXXXXXX Asda. There are loads at each store all WEP secured
SpeedTouchXXXXXX AOL standard wireless routers
tsunami Some Cisco equipment
Wanadoo-XXXX Wanadoo (now Orange) standard wireless router
WiFi Zone - TheCloud Subscription based public access points. Normally found in pubs and cafes Link
zoom All Zoom wireless equipment Link