REMINDER: NO COMM SKILL LESSON ON 15/11/06

EC E-QUIZ TO BE DUE THIS WEEK BEFORE LAB!

ASSIGNMENT COMM SKILL TO BE MAIL TO LECTURER ... MORE COMING UP! :(

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Nov 11, 2006
Teen, 17, first to be charged with unauthorised wireless Net access



By Chua Hian Hou

A 17-YEAR-OLD polytechnic student has become the first person here to be charged with piggybacking on someone else's wireless Internet connection.

Garyl Tan Jia Luo was accused yesterday of using a laptop computer to gain unauthorised access to a home wireless network on May 13 this year.

If convicted, Tan faces up to three years in jail and fines of up to $10,000 under Section 6(1)(a) of the Computer Misuse Act.

Tan was released on $6,000 bail and is scheduled to appear at the Subordinate Courts on Wednesday.

Court documents did not describe the circumstances in which Tan was arrested, but The Straits Times understands that a neighbour near his Casuarina Walk home had lodged a complaint against him.

While there are no statistics on how commonplace the practice of piggybacking unsecured home wireless networks is, networking firm Cisco System's spokesman, Mr Rayson Cheo, said it is probably quite widespread here.

Most modern notebook computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs) have the ability to sniff out unsecured networks and hop online for free with just a few clicks.

There are numerous guides online that describe how to do this and the low cost of wireless networking equipment means that most HDB or condominium blocks have unprotected networks users can log on to.

Said Mr Cheo: 'People assume, wrongly, that since it is there, it is okay to use it.'

Mr Aloysius Cheang, the chairman of local infocomm security association, the Special Interest Group in Security and Information Integrity, said: 'Most people probably do it because it is convenient, or because they are cheap and want free Internet.

'But, for some, it is because they want to do something illegal like defaming someone or downloading pirated MP3s, and they don't want the activities traced back to their own network.'

In the online world, there are even special terms for it, like 'wardriving' and 'Wi-Fi mooching'.

The problem, said lawyer Bryan Tan, is that while most people know that mooching is not quite legitimate, they probably do not know that it can be treated as a serious offence.

'Blinkered by the convenience and allure of ?free Internet', people don't realise that mooching is the virtual equivalent of trespassing,' he added.

Likewise, many users do not seem to realise that they can block moochers simply by installing a password on their Internet connections.

For most users, the only indication they get that someone is mooching is when their connection speed slows down, though Mr Cheo said software tools are available for download that can track who is using a network and what they are doing on it.

While the case is the first of its kind here, there have been at least two similar arrests and convictions in the United States.

In some countries like Holland, Mr Tan added, Wi-Fi network owners can even be held liable by the courts for crimes committed on their unprotected networks.

chuahh@sph.com.sg


DONT SAY I NEVER WARN YOU ALL. IF YOU WANT TO TAP PPL WIRELESS. TAP IT SMARTLY. :)

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hmm, let me see.

THINGS TO DO

1. Electronics E-Quiz (heard from rachel its freaking hard)
2. Thursday to hand up Maths Assignment 2 & Webportal Site Evaluation
3. Friday 4 hours break... (omg can someone suggest where to go?)
4. saturday - rottttt @ home ... (Project hours larh. what else)
5. sunday - family day
6. don't wish to see monday can!
   

danielx2.

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DANIEL HAS GONE MISSING SINCE 06/11/06. LAST FOUND AT BLK 85 BEDOK NORTH ROAD HAWKER CENTRE.

NAME: DANIEL TAN WEI SIONG
NRIC: S8210610B
ADDRESS: BLK 182, BEDOK NORTH RD #14-40 SINGAPORE 460182
PHONE: 64417635

IF YOU GUYS HAS ANY INFOMATION ABOUT HIM, DO NOT HESITATE TO CALL ME.

REGARDS,
RENA (HIS SISTER)

*PS: APRIL FOOL 2007?*

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