Is it wrong to hijack your neighbours router?

[Saaf_laandon_mo]

What would happen if your neighbour, or whoever you're 'stealing' bandwith off, doesn't want to press charges? Here Im assuming that the 'hijacker' has been found to be nicking bandwith, but its not his neighbour (the victim) that shopped him.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Saaf_laandon_mo

What would happen if your neighbour, or whoever you're 'stealing' bandwith off, doesn't want to press charges? Here Im assuming that the 'hijacker' has been found to be nicking bandwith, but its not his neighbour (the victim) that shopped him.

The police don't need 'permission' to arrest anyone and I believe the law was changed so the CPS don't need the co operation of the victim to prosecute either

[Saaf_laandon_mo]

Were the people found guilty of hijacking bandwidth caught in the process? Just wondering how you'd prove it after you've downloaded a file and closed the internet connection

Originally Posted by Saaf_laandon_mo

Were the people found guilty of hijacking bandwidth caught in the process? Just wondering how you'd prove it after you've downloaded a file and closed the internet connection

The router should keep a log of MAC addresses that have connected to it. If the MAC address of the wifi card in the suspect's laptop matches something in the router log, I'd imagine it's goodnight, Vienna.

[Gareth]

Wouldn't stand up in court, I'm afraid, Chris... as MAC addresses can be changed, so there's no proof that it wasn't somebody else.

[Saaf_laandon_mo]

Originally Posted by Gareth

Wouldn't stand up in court, I'm afraid, Chris... as MAC addresses can be changed, so there's no proof that it wasn't somebody else.

Well thats my line of defence sorted... Cheers mate greeny on its way for you.

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by Action Jackson

Yes, but these examples are slightly misleading. One was suspiciously parked outside a house using a laptop and was deliberately out looking for routers to hijack, probably to download illegal material as a lot of these 'war drivers' do. Who knows what the others were up to.

Me sitting in my house and jumping onto my neighbours router to have a look at the footie scores is not exactly in the same league, is it?


Isn't it technically illegal for someone to hang a mattress out of a window? Don't hear of many arrests for that crime.

You logging in to your neighbours connection to 'check the footie scores' is no different to someone parked in the street looking for a connection to make use of for free.

Stick to your own net connection.

[Action Jackson]

Originally Posted by DarthYoda

Stick to your own net connection.

Are you the bandwidth police?

Originally Posted by Action Jackson

Are you the bandwidth police?

No but if you use someone's connection without there knowledge or permission then you are a thief

[dragon]

Originally Posted by DarthYoda

You logging in to your neighbours connection to 'check the footie scores' is no different to someone parked in the street looking for a connection to make use of for free.

Stick to your own net connection.

cept they're probably less likely to notice.

that and even if they did i doubt many people walk around with the equipment to locate the source of the signal.

Its all very well the people saying stuff like help by telling your neighbour how to secure their network.etc etc but thats only good if you know who actually owns the network.

I can see 6+ networks from my living room most are encypted some aren't!

[Nikesh]

Would you like it if they were using your internet?

[Action Jackson]

Originally Posted by Nikesh

Would you like it if they were using your internet?

Yes I would actually.


Why do you ask?

[Nikesh]

Originally Posted by Action Jackson

Yes I would actually.

Why do you ask?

Well, don't you think you should at least find out whose wifi it is and ask them if you can use it before helping yourself?

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Bill C

No but if you use someone's connection without there knowledge or permission then you are a thief

Don't some people purposely leave their connections open for strangers to use?

[cookie_365]

Originally Posted by Action Jackson

Me sitting in my house and jumping onto my neighbours router to have a look at the footie scores is not exactly in the same league, is it?

At the risk of feeding the troll:

A person who-

(a) dishonestly obtains an electronic communications service, and

(b) does so with intent to avoid payment of a charge applicable to the provision of that service,

is guilty of an offence.

The bill drafters appear to have missed off the footie score exemption; how remiss of them