Is using a network not ur own illegal?

If your wireless system picks up a wireless network or wi-fi hotspot, is it illegal to use it if its not ur own? I was readiing about that cantina thing on the news page.

 

Not sure about the legal aspect, but it's stealing to me.

 

If you can easily access someone elses network without their knowledge, then it would be like if someone dropped a twenty and it was ten feet away and you snagged it. It is up to you if you want to give that twenty back or just pocket it. If someones network is unsecure then it is up to you if you want to inform the owner of the exploit.

 

I guess it depends. If were a library or business offereing free internet, I think it would be OK. If it is your neighbor, then it is probably not.

 

I wonder if there have been any court cases or anything to set bounds on this. If you have a router completely open without any filtering or encryption, you are essentially giving access away. If you had a sprinkler to water your lawn, and it also sprayed partly on a neighbors lawn, would you expect your neighbor to put up a barrier so their lawn could not use the water you are throwing at it?

Obviously hacking encryption or spoofing a MAC address to gain access should be illegal.

 

it is illegal to jack into a wifi network that is not specifically made available to the public (library, coffee shop, etc.).

jacking into a wifi network not intended for public use (someone's personal home network / a business' network) is illegal.

NONE of this is dependent on whether the owner of the network has set up any security or not. Just because you CAN connect, doesn't mean it's LEGAL to connect.

 

I totally agree bro. Granted, most people would and it is hard to track. But it is still illegal.

But as they say, "It is only illegal if you get caught." J/K

 

How do you inform the owner? For example, in an apartment building, how do you know whose it belongs to? It can be anyone within a certain range....

 

Actually, there are some court cases.

JC

 

Here is an example of one current court case. Yes the guy was sitting in front of the other guys house using his wireless network. Same as if you were sitting in your house using your neighbors wireless network. Stealing is stealing. I was working on a laptop for my wife's work and I picked up an errant Wi-Fi signal, checked the name and then went out with my hotspot locator till I found a strong signal (walked up and down my street till I found it). I then informed my neighbor that his Wi-Fi access was wide open and anyone could connect. I helped him configure some security on it (mac filtering and WPA) and now when working on laptops for my wifes work I am allowed by him to access his network for updates and whatnot as I don't own laptop myself yet and therefore don't have a Wi-Fi setup at my house. If you are nice and let people know of these things and help them to rectify it you may be suprised at how grateful they are.

Another one involving unsecured Wi-Fi and attempting to steal Credit Card numbers here

 

Somebody has to know how to notify someone their connection is wide open. I'm picking up one in my complex thats been open for about 5 months now. I'd like to notify this person about it. Short of knocking on about 60 doors, what else is there?

 

Well, you could use a program and trace the db back to the base. That is what I would do.

 

i have 4 signals that are unsecured. now how am i going to find these people?
its more like a room of faceless people and they one of them or some drop a 20$bill, who and how are you going to return it? few have wifi signal finders anyway

 

How difficult is it to notify people of an exploit when you can put up bulletins in apartment building or just ask your neighbors, like I said it is up to you. Saying it is too hard shows how lazy people have become.

 

And the option of leaving it there, so the person who lost it can return and retrieve it doesn't exist? You can choose not to steal WiFi, you know...