Endless Paradigm

Quote:More than half of computer users have illegally 'borrowed' Wi-Fi connections, according to The Times - but only 11 alleged offenders have been arrested in the UK, as the police seem to think those deploying Wi-Fi should be more careful about securing their connections.

The data was collected from a "Have Your Say" survey on the website of security-specialist Sophos: apparently 54 per cent of the 560 people who responded admitted nicking bandwidth from insecure Wi-Fi routers.

This might say more about Sophos customers than the general population, and extrapolating the results to every computer user in the country is probably a crime against statistics: so that's exactly what The Times has done.

It reports being told by the Serious Organised Crime Agency that "...there is a certain responsibility that the individual has to assume in the fight against this", and goes on to note that hijacked connections can be used to download pornography and "...if the hacker has used your broadband to log on to an illegal site, this will be traced back to your wireless router. Then it is your job to persuade the police that you are innocent."

And there was us thinking that it was up to the CPS to prove guilt, rather than the other way round.

Anyone caught stealing a Wi-Fi connection can be fined up to a grand, even if it's left unsecured, so make sure you ask nicely next time you're looking to log on, and if the person next to you has never 'borrowed' a Wi-Fi connection then wee have to assume that you have.

ssssssshhhhhhh you know nothing about me

...you've got to be kidding me...Hooking up to an unsecured connection that isn't your is illegal?! I thought it just meant you were being a pocky, not a criminal :@

metalgear08 Wrote:...you've got to be kidding me...Hooking up to an unsecured connection that isn't your is illegal?! I thought it just meant you were being a pocky, not a criminal :@

Technically, taking something that isn't yours is classed as stealing.


However, it can also be argued that if the signal is in your house, it's technically yours.  However, it would also require you to send signals to a computer in someone else's property, so this argument doesn't work.

All in all, you're talking something, that you are aware of, you don't own, so it's illegal I guess.

its just over 3months and this connectiosn still going

Man, only times I've ever had to do that were on UAB campus, which is all a hotspot, and at a friend's house to show him some cool stuff.  More than half the people around here seem to use no security on their connections.

Damn Wi-Fi Thieves :( Good Thing I Got My Own Wi-Fi Network WEP Secured :D

Only security you need is a mac filter.;P

I don't have a WEP password. . .

the lots beside my house are empty

Hmm, when I read this I really want to know how many people are stealing MY WiFi connection. :P

I can only see the people that are online at the moment (just me now), but I can't find a history or something....

im too scared of getting caught to 'borrow' someones connection.