Wardriving equipment

Im planning to install a wireless network in my home to connects several computers ,i live in the city and have seen several wardriving websites which people gather maps of access points .

My question is this what equipment do they use to scan the networks do they use an adapter like WLAN network adapter or do they use pc cards that connect to an antenna ,do they also use GPS and how does this connect to there computer .

I find the art of war driving very interesting does anyone else think so or do they think it should be made illegal ?

First of all here is the link to a tutorial posted by DeadAddict on how to secure your wireless network a couple of months ago.

http://www.antionline.com/showthread...ght=wardriving

Here is the link to a wardriving tutorial posted recently by Plastic. It includes an equipment list, software, hardware and how to get started.

http://www.antionline.com/showthread...ght=wardriving

These can get you started on the wardriving stuff and if your interested in what can be done with wireless check out these sites.

http://nocat.net/

http://www.seattlewireless.net/

Have fun

Those who think it should be made illegal have their proverbial head in the sand.

I have gone wardriving many times, well warbussing I guess. I don't have a driver's license anymore, so I use the public bus.

I just use Netstumbler and my built in wireless card, but an antenna wouldn't hurt.

Netstumbler has the ability to use a GPS and record coordinates. The GPS usually hooks through either USB or a serial connection. There are legitimate uses for this such as navigational software and whatnot.

The best network I found so far was on my way home from the County Jail (Long story that I'm not going to share right now). The network was encrypted and wasn't broadcasting any ID's or anything. I have been to scared to go near the jail to check if it's still there. I do know that it didn't belong to the jail.

BTW, I do not break into networks. That's just not cool. I just do it to pass the time on long bus rides. Some of the network names can be funny.

Most wardriving is done with a laptop a wireless card and software Some cards such as proxim www.proxim.com do have a plug that will allow you to attach a external antenna to it to increase the cards range. software for windows you would use netstumbler www.netstumbler.com Linux airsnort http://airsnort.shmoo.com/ and If you use freebsd you can use D-stumbler www.dachb0den.com/projects/bsd-airtools.html some do use Gps devices

I would like to quote something I've said before on the terms of wardriving being illegal or not:

Quote:

---

People seem to be confusing wardriving with hacking, when in fact it is neither. Wardriving is basically driving around to find signals that report they are open. That's right, these networks are already being broadcasted out. Wardriving is similar to walking down the neighehborhood looking for people who have wooden signs in their front yard that says "I HAVE A NETWORK" and then jotting down which house has what according to their sign. Wireless networks and WAP's operate in the exact same fashion. By continually boradcasting their network information they are putting a sign up. Wardriving is looking for signs, not breaking into, taking advantage of, nor any such nonsense.

People may also confuse wardriving with cracking, and thus call it illegal. No, even under Texas law (stated on an bove post) where it is illegal to attempt to gain service, it is not illegal to *discover* a service. By attempting to gain access to that network )ie. logging in) the law is broken, but not by just knocking on the door (in which case, those who wardrive already know we just filter the packets they are already sending out, we don't send any back). And no, the excuse "knocking on a door only leads to one thing" is also nonsense because you can not preassume everyone is a script kiddie that cracks everything they come across. I repeat. Wardriving is not illegal because it is watching, looking, and knocking on doors, never trying to gain access. Hell, wardriiving works (repeated) because they are already sending out the "do you want to join? this is my network name!" packets, with the programs we run merely sniffing the air. Once finding a network through wardriving and then trying to access by logging in, then you are attempting to have a service, which is illegal.

---

Quote:

---

Those who think it should be made illegal have their proverbial head in the sand.

---

I dont see how it shouldnt be made illegal. What you are doing is basically stealing internet access from the owner of the network. Also, if you do something illegal on the network, it gets traced back to the innocent owner of the network rather than the real criminal. Bottom line, wardriving a network is just the same as tapping in to your neighbors cable line. Stealing from a person who legitimately pays for it.


slick

Quote:

---

What you are doing is basically stealing internet access from the owner of the network

---

Please read my post above yours, as the companies are already broadcasting their ability, and wardriving is NOT about using their service, only listening to what the networks are already broadcasting

From my point of view, pooh sun tzu has a made a pretty valid point here. It's like when if somebody shouts an answer in class during a test, you cannot be considered as cheating since you heard it. These networks are simply sending stuff out, and wardrivers simply hear it. I do think, however, that in a short time wardrivers will have the fate of wardialers [I'm not sure if there was a law against them or not], or at least the reputation. A wardriver is very hard to find, though, unless you have patrols on the bus/police filters that look for laptops with wireless cards in them, and it is absurd to suspect every person that has one of wardriving. [And you couldn't try to see if their MAC matches one on your 'suspects wanted' database because most 'intelligent' people you try to spoof it for various reasons, either gaining access or simply making it harder to be traced]

well in that case, by listening to what they are broadcasting, i feel they are violating privacy laws. take the example of looking around a neighborhood for open windows near phones. by your definition of wardriving, you could sit outside under that window and listen to what the person is talking about. i dunno, i just think it is just a violation of peoples privacy


slick

Quote:

---

well in that case, by listening to what they are broadcasting, i feel they are violating privacy laws.

---

I understand how you can feel this way, I honestly do. But keep in mind that it is not like listening through an open window. These networks broadcast across citywide ranges, and thus it is similar to someone shouting. A wardriver is simply listening for certain shouts, just like a child may tune out the word "no" but listen for the word "candy". Privacy matters not when it is placed into the open air on purpose, and with the knowing concent of the shouter.

Example:

You are at a baseball game and everyone is screaming for their team to win. The wardriver would be walking around listening for a certain kind of phrase or scream, such as "I love the other team better!", and jotting it down. No privacy is breached because the fans are on purpose, shouting out their thoughts, opinions, and in a WAP's case.. their network Name and existance proof.

Don't neg me for this, I am not condoning or suggesting anything. I am merely stating my own opinion on the matter.

In my personal opinion, anyone who has a network that broadcasts in the open is giving blatant permission for people to listen in and make use of that network. I do not do this personally. I am a wardriver, I enjoy it, but I have never broken the law. I have never accessed a network that I did not have oral or written permission to access. And I definitely do not approve of people doing so. People who do those things have given the entire online community a bad name. It is people like that who turned the word hacker into a curse. Hackers used to be programmers, now they are felons.

Sorry for the rant at the end, but I've had a long night.