Do You Protect Your Wireless Network?
By ChrisjobOur wireless network is not password protected. Ethically, I have absolutely no problem with others being able to use my network. I'm going to pay for it regardless, and I hope it can be helpful to others...sometimes, when mine is acting up, it's useful to have another option for the quick email check, or to look up the tech support phone number to get back online.
I realize that someone could take advantage of this, and use it for malicious activities. But I'm curious: what could they do? Could they actually do harm to my computer? Are there things that someone would do on another's network that they wouldn't do on their own, so as to avoid culpability? Would I simply be enabling harmful activity passively, or inviting problems? Could I be held responsible for activity that apparently occurs on my network?
I'm not a suspicious guy, and I'm happy to share access to information...but do the risks outweigh the politics?
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There is always someone that will take advantage of a free situation. My daughter recently was living in an inner city highrise apartment block and noticed that shortly after logging in, her computer internet connection would slow dramatically. After lots of checks and diagnostics, she discovered a lot of university students would wait until they found an unprotected wireless connection and then would surf or do whatever they wanted to do without risk of exposure. She discovered at least 7 were hooking in to her connection.
She very quickly added some software to block them because you don't know if they are setting up scripts to monitor your computer for internet banking or to read your confidential emails, etc. She is a specialist lawyer that requires a lot of after hours work, so naturally privacy is an issue.
From your point of view, whilst it is noble of you to support others that don't want to indulge by paying for their own bandwidth, but I suggest you are certainly leaving yourself open for cyber attack in some form.
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