After November’s terrorist attacks in Mumbai, blame was flying thick and fast and some of it landed on Google Maps. That was embarassing, but now the understandably jumpy residents are worrying about a new threat: open wi-fi networks.
When it was revealed that terrorists had hacked a tourist’s computer in order to send an email shortly before the attacks, cybersecurity became a pressing issue. Mumbai police are now cruising around the metropolis looking for unsecured routers and poorly protected connections. The behavior is commonly called wardriving, and usually the idea isn’t to secure the points, but to build a database of them.
Sanjay Mohite, Deputy Commissioner of Mumbai Police, says:
“It’s an awareness campaign, where the police officials will educate the users about security aspect of Wi-Fi networks. And the officer’s team will visit homes, schools, colleges and offices to check unsecured networks.”
Well, any campaign to increase the amount of people protecting their wi-fi is a good thing, but as a police action this really is a red herring, isn’t it? An attack of any sophistication wouldn’t rely on finding an open wi-fi connection.
[via TechDirt]
About time that they did something
The thorn in the side of Mumbai police is anonymous threats including fake and real threats right before terrorist attacks being sent by email they can’t track. The last time there were serial blasts in Mumbai, the email came from the network of someone who claimed it was a third person piggybacking on their open wireless network.
I doubt their brute force approach to awareness is going to be very effective in stopping instances like the above, it’s not very hard to be anonymous on the Internet. But over all, it’s not a bad thing.
Its indeed a genuine drive but it just seems like a drag in the wrong direction… you can’t go door to door looking for open wifi connections.
Its sad but apparently we get too busy extinguishing fires rather than looking at the source.
Technically, you don’t need to go door to door. Or you shouldn’t need to. You need to get smart I think. It should be possible to equip every police car with a wifi-catcher which detects open networks in its vicinity (these have to be sophisticated things which detect even faint signals).
As the police go about doing their normal business, a database of such networks is created (tagged with GPS coordinates). This data can then be analyzed on a daily basis by a dedicated group who can then visit the wifi network and help the owner secure it.
India has got more than a billion people. I think checking for millions of wifi connection in this vast population where apparently most of them are unsecured (India). It sounds like climbing Mount Everest for me.
< 10% of the population have broadband connections in India, and amongst those, not many have wireless routers.
It doesn’t seem like the most efficient way of securing a city’s wifi networks.
Why don’t manufacturer’s just make sure that WPA security is the default factory setting on all routers? I always wondered why you’d even have the option to have an non secure wireless network outside of Starbucks.
Precisely.
First check all the sold pieces. Then check all the waves out there. You’ll also catch some frauds in the process. Is this so difficult to understand for cops who are so experienced in handling smuggled goods? Not one, but about 3-4 types of frauds out there waiting to be caught. You get a lot of other crooks too. But then, that might be the exact reason they aren’t doing these things.
@Akmal: Metropolitan cities are not India. About 1.5% of India’s people live in Mumbai. Much lesser in other cities, totally maybe 10% – where wireless routers are sold. And then the further ratios mentioned above. Not so big a job as it appears, but again, starting from the wrong place. Eventually, there has to be live checking for 100%, but they can get there later. And to prevent terrorist attacks, this is stupid, they need intelligence, unless they have proof that wifi is the largest part of the terrorists’ logistics.
Unfortunately, a key aspect of the Mumbai attacks was exactly that – it LACKED sophistication. It was so caveman that no one was prepared or new how to react. I imagine use of low-level low-security telecom systems played right into it. I do believe that there are better things the police could be doing to prevent future attacks like this than driving around securing wifi networks, but the author’s logic is flawed.
well, no one *k*new how to react…
FakeAP + Prism Chipsets + Linux == major problem for the Mumbai police if this approach is their answer.
slow news day? it is a non-story. If some wants to do evil they will find a way to do it. If there was no google earth, you think these people cannot find a papaer map! technology just makes thing a little easier. On the other hand, it also make it easier to trace things in investigations…
It is about India to act upon this. Being one of the nations with acclaimed IT professionals, they shld develop a strategy plan for securing their IT networks among the civilian area.
the thing about this though, is not the technology but rather the people
i guess thats true
http://www.cashcratescam.com/
It’s a good thing that they are doing this. There is a grand canyon width between our govt workforce’s skills and the highly talented private sector workforce. It’s time the govt used the intellectual strengths of the tech workforce and build a cyber force.
Being a Mumbaikar I am always disappointed on seeing a bullock cart and dilapidated buildings representing my city. Come on guys, times have changed.
I took that pic on a major street in Mumbai… there was no shortage of bulls.
And there is no shortage of better streets in Mumbai!
why disappointed @ Dhiram? It looks like that only…I’d been to mumbai about 2 months ago. Why to run away from reality?
Mumbai does have better things than what is shown in this picture. And I came from Mumbai last month only!
No hard feeling to anybody but as Dhiram said a lot of things have changed over time.
What pic would be used to depict NY. Harlem? Sure NY looks like Harlem if you go looking for it.
What pic would be used to depict New Yorkers. Hobos in parks? Arent’t hobos realilty?
Marvin I am disappointed that in a city like NY where drugs are sold in every street corner nothing could be done for decades.
Why run away from this reality too.
At least the police in Mumbai are being proactive about sercuring open wifi networks. I would have been worried if they did nothing.
P. Venkatraman
Its interesting to note that there won’t be many WiFi connections, however, the one that exist, many people are aware now to secure their connection not just because of security reasons but also no one wants others to leach on their bandwidth.
However, I have unsecured WiFi connections on my college campus..
Just to add, I got an advisory ad from ‘Airtel’ (cellular & broadband service provider) on ways to secure WiFi, which were good if followed.
This is the first that I have heard about the terrorists wardriving. Very interesting.
I agree with Dhiram and P. Venkat.. why is it that India has to be associated with a Cow walking in the street or a person begging on the streets… its not about running away from reality. Dont we all try to keep our living room clean with our closets full of mess.
How hard it is to associate populate landmarks with a country?
Boycott israeli web 2.0 apps:
Jajah
Aniboom
Metacafe
Speedbit
Foxytunes
MySupermarket
Zlango
MyHeritage
WeFi
eSnips
PicApp
I apologize for my previous post.
Now that I think about it, maybe if the Palestinians invested their creativity and R&D in Web 2.0 start-ups instead of in building crude missiles and digging tunnels to smuggle explosives, the Middle East would have looked differently.
So much creativity in the Arab world appears to be tunneled to one direction only: hatred.
No need to apologize.
How do you expect them to do any R&D under the conditions they’re forced to live in?
Boycotting is cruel, but as a response to bombing their children it’s pretty fair I think. These israeli entrepreneurs should blame their governments.
There is no excuse for killing innocent children and people, for both sides.
I wonder if “AliBaba” has ever lived in a Ghetto, or if he lives in suburban America on private land with a green lawn.
Its kinda hard to think creatively when you live in a ghetto, buy food from smugglers just to survive, and get educated in underfunded United Nations schools.
Doesn’t US have free to use Wi-Fi connections at public places like parks, airports etc.?
How do they prevent misuse of these connections? Do users need to register an identity before use?
Oh wait…the terrorists used food during the attacks they need to secure that too…