Wardriving
Wardriving ( . English was ' war 'and driving , drive') is the systematic search for wireless local area networks using a vehicle. The term is derived from wardialing , a method of finding open modem access by trying out many telephone numbers . Some wardrivers see the three first letters as a backronym for "Wireless Access Revolution".
method
A classic wardriver sits with a notebook in the passenger seat (or with a passenger with a notebook) in a car and tracks down networks. An external antenna is often used to increase the range. To find existing WLANs , a WLAN sniffer is usually used, which automatically logs the data of the networks found, but does not, as often misunderstood, dial into a foreign network. So-called " beacon frames " are data packets that are sent out by an access point approx. 10 times per second and contain information such as ESSID , BSSID , channel and encryption method with which the access point was configured. For security reasons, this information is sometimes incorrect, so that only a user who is aware of this information can gain access. The beacons received are stored in connection with the GPS data.
In principle, however, any other means of transport can also be used for the WLAN search. Accordingly, other terms have also been established for this process in which the word part driving is replaced by another verb that matches the respective type of locomotion . WarWalking describes, for example, the WLAN search on foot.
A notebook doesn't always have to be used. There is also software for smartphones , PDAs or the PlayStation Portable (PSP for short) to detect wireless networks. In addition, there are now also specially designed, compact embedded products for tracking down WLANs that are even smaller than PDAs and are therefore less likely to be noticed.
motivation
The simplest motivation is to want to find open Internet access for personal use while on the move. However, this is no longer the actual wardriving in the sense of the pure mapping of WLANs.
Others do wardriving out of curiosity and turn it into a hobby. You deal with WLAN technology and have a certain drive to explore .
Another motivation for wardriving can be to detect security gaps in WLANs and report them to the operator. The focus is on the need to reduce the number of WLANs that are often involuntarily or unnoticed left open. This can benefit the operator himself in particular, since according to the current legal situation he can also be held responsible if criminally relevant content can be proven during a download and the operator was demonstrably operating the WLAN unencrypted at the time of the crime.
Finally, there is also the criminal motivation to break into open WLANs in order to steal data or to use the network as a springboard for further attacks. Often it is crackers (also called black hats ) who do this, being aware of the extremely low risk of being detected.
Markings
Since finding open WLANs is a rather redundant activity, the wardriver subculture soon switched to marking open reception points that were found to be good especially for those who would follow suit.
One of the first methods was the so-called WarChalking , i.e. the marking of receiving points with chalk or similar aids.
The increasing cost of GPS receivers has meanwhile led to the fact that wardrivers are increasingly mapping the hot spots they have found using their own software. The resulting maps are partially made available on the Internet as a kind of free service and are constantly updated.
Unauthorized access
Apart from reducing the radio range , measures to prevent unauthorized access as a result of wardriving do not differ significantly from measures to prevent unauthorized access to LANs as a result of other means of obtaining information.
Legal situation in Germany
When wardriving with motorized vehicles, there may be a violation of Section 30, Paragraph 1 of the Road Traffic Act if someone would be bothered by "senseless driving around within built-up areas". The cell phone ban also applies, i. H. the driver is not allowed to operate such devices while driving.
See also
Web links
- Leaflet for WarChalker ( Memento of April 10, 2003 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 32 kB)
- Collection of documentation
- Article about the Wuppertal judgment on wardriving
