[News']jail time for hijacking a resident's wireless Internet network without ok

[Hellfighter]

Man charged with wireless trespassing

Florida man faces 3rd-degree felony charges after using another's wireless network from his laptop.
July 7, 2005: 5:52 PM EDT
By Rob Kelley, CNN/Money staff writer

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Police have charged a Florida man with a third-degree felony charge, after he was arrested for accessing a St. Petersburg resident's wireless Internet network without permission.

According to the police, Benjamin Smith III was seen by Richard Dinon outside Dinon's home on the night of April 20, 2005, sitting in a parked SUV and using a laptop computer. When Dinon went outside to deposit his trash, Smith quickly closed the laptop and tried to hide it.

Dinon also stated that he later observed foreign icons on his home computer screen, and suspected that Smith, 41, may have been using his network. He called police and an officer confronted Smith at 11:30 p.m., two hours after the initial sighting.

"The arresting officer wasn't initially sure a violation took place," said George Kajtsa of the St. Petersburg Police Department. "He consulted our legal staff and they looked up the relevant statute."

The charge, unauthorized access to a computer network, applies to all varieties of computer network breaches, and gives prosecutors considerable leeway depending on the severity. It carries a potential sentence ranging from probation to 5 years in prison.

Smith faces a pretrial hearing on Monday, July 11.

"The sentence we'll seek depends on whether he was accessing the Internet for basic personal use, or using it for pecuniary gain -- like identity theft -- or other illicit reasons," said Fred Schaub of Florida's State Attorney's office.

Smith's motives in using the network are unclear, but the laptop was confiscated from him at the time of arrest and will be analyzed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).

Bob Breeden of the Computer Crime Center at FDLE said it was only the third case of unauthorized wireless access in Florida.

Wireless networks are becoming more prevalent with the spread of broadband Internet access, and many consumers are not aware of how to configure their networks to avoid unauthorized access.

"Law enforcement is behind the curve in confronting computer crime," said Breeden. "Wireless networks are only just starting to be recognized."

He said that Florida had launched extensive measures to educate consumers about risks associated with new technologies, including an informational Web site and a free 8-hour program available across the state.

"More and more people are buying wireless routers and not educating themselves about the consequences," he said. "People are very haphazard about security, and the stakes are high."

Source: http://money.cnn.com/2005/07/07/tech...rest/index.htm

if you using a highspeed connection best double check your network setting share connection is disable. some one drive by your home and they can log-in the internet using your wireless network, you maybe in more then you know of.

think this happens a lot at night when people gone to bed leaving their system connected online wireless network

[Jeff]

only if you're wireless :P yayyyy corded!

[Lucky]

o dang thats illigal oops
ive used poeples internets from my house

[atholon]

Do you think it is illegal if you did this:

1. Had an apartment with like 3-4 other apartments around you and you share your DSL wirelessly with those apartments.
2. You do the same thing with 2-3 neighbors

You all split the cost of DSL or cable.

[Lucky]

if you all split the cost no

[Hellfighter]

Originally posted by atholon
Do you think it is illegal if you did this:

1. Had an apartment with like 3-4 other apartments around you and you share your DSL wirelessly with those apartments.
2. You do the same thing with 2-3 neighbors

You all split the cost of DSL or cable.

think it ok as long as all the people agreed to it then it no trouble, this guy did it without the home owner ok and he leech onto their wireless network.

[Rampage.]

i got access to all the wireless networks in the my neighbor, which there is about 8, i am on the schools right now, running 9mb a sec

[Lakie]

there may (and i stress may) be issues with doing that, it depends on the contract the subscriber has with the ISP...

Your school on comcast rampage?

If your stupid enough to do what the guy did then you deserve to be prosecuedm esspecially if you manage to get caught....

[Rampage.]

well for a fact i am not stupid and i know what i am doing, i am on the school's internet, which is allowed, cause they told us we can get on it all the time at home if your in reach of an airport, and i just happen to be across the street, and no a school here, cannot run off comcast, nor can any school, there is not enough upload speed in comcast cable to do that, and they don't supply t1, to t3 packages to anyone.

[Hellfighter]

®ampage

will in your case i think you are safe it when you don't have the ok do that then a person can get into trouble glade the school said you can do it.

[atholon]

My bro could get on peoples internet at his aparment. He had DSL but people would not put WEPS on their network.

[ziprock]

ive actually watched a piece of this on the news, a reporter going around saying how easy it is for somone to just park outside your home and turn on a laptop.

btw im glad im not wireless