Wireless Hackers

[Canis Vulpes]

Wireless internet still nice and quiet except for when we are using it. Interesting how the house I strongly suspected of using my wireless service has an interesting addition.

I believe the device is a waveguide for picking up wireless Internet service and it points approx 30-40 degrees away from my house.

[yelvertoft]

Hmmm, wouldn't call it a waveguide, they are rectangular in shape, but it certainly looks like a highly directional receiving antenna of some sort (probably a yagi array). I suspect they have moved onto other people's networks as it's not pointing at your house anymore. With a directional receiver like this, they can probably pick up your wireless, even on its reduced power, but as you've now set the encryption to WPA2, they won't be able to crack it. They will have put this antenna up and moved it around until they managed to find somebody with no/WEP encryption on their wireless.

There's plenty of people out there who either don't bother with security on their networks at all, naively assuming that there's nothing to be worried about on a quiet residential estate, or think that as they have WEP security enabled that they are safe.

Even if the people who are logging onto your wireless network aren't using it for any malicious activity, they are stealing your bandwidth, stealing a service you are paying for. One of my work colleagues said to me while ago he'd doubled his internet speed for free
"How did you manage that?"
"I've logged onto next door's network, he's got it wide open. I can browse through all the files on his computer."
He later popped round to his neighbour and told him what he could do, giving him some suggestions on how he could improve his security.

Edit:
Here's how to make your own wireless hacking antenna
http://www.oreillynet.com/etel/blog/...p_er_chip.html
using a pringles tube, it looks like your neighbours have used a bit of drain pipe to weatherproof it.

[Canis Vulpes]

This is a new furniture to the house in the last week. This was not a fixture when I noticed my service was being used by others. Its simply lashed together, note the nice wiring. If they know how to pick up weak wireless signals they may know how to break WPA2 encryption. I reckon they are most IT savvy.

[yelvertoft]

See also
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1860241.stm

and another more up to date article
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7052223.stm

[Canis Vulpes]

Nice article from the BBC, very interesting.

[yelvertoft]

Originally Posted by Canis Vulpes

If they know how to pick up weak wireless signals they may know how to break WPA2 encryption. I reckon they are most IT savvy.

WPA/WPA2 has been cracked in concept, but only by using a dictionary attack. If you use the longest PSK (Pre-Shared Key) possible within your router and that string is a random set of characters, see my first reply in this thread for a link to a page that generates these strings for you, then you will in theory still be vulnerable. In practice, the hackers will have died of old age before they crack a 64 character random character sequence using a dictionary attack. Using a PSK comprised of words you can read, even if they aren't in a normal dictionary will leave you relatively vulnerable, but in reality as long as there's others within range that are using no encryption or WEP then they will move onto those easier targets first.

[yelvertoft]

Not wishing to get you paranoid Steven, but the directional offset on the antenna could be to use the large sidelobes present in a crude antenna such as the one you have shown. Sidelobes are areas of high gain offset from the main boresight of the antenna. You should be safe if you're using a 60+ character random string on your PSK, but keep an eye on your network activity light just to be sure.

[miketoll]

What can be done about people like this? They are at the very least stealing and at worst using other peoples computers and address to do what?? Child porn or anything. Is it worth reporting them to the police?

[Canis Vulpes]

Originally Posted by miketoll

What can be done about people like this? They are at the very least stealing and at worst using other peoples computers and address to do what?? Child porn or anything. Is it worth reporting them to the police?

Its a scary thought people may have been using your Internet service for such unmentionables. I think its best to protect our selves. Some good information in this thread.

My router is now running on 2mW with a long WPA2 passcode. Our windows machine is showing one bar all around the house except for next to the router. My MacBook is showing two bars.

I would be surprised if the super antenna could pick me up and if it does it has a long WPA2 passcode.

Best of luck!

[yelvertoft]

Originally Posted by Canis Vulpes

My router is now running on 2mW with a long WPA2 passcode. [snip]

I would be surprised if the super antenna could pick me up

At 2mW, reduced from the default 28mW, the high gain antenna needs an extra 11-12dB of gain over the antenna originally used to pick up your signal. This is quite achievable. It would come as no surprise to find that your neighbours are leaving a machine running 24/7 to try and crack back into your network, make your PSK as long and random as it can possibly be. If they've been using it for a while it will be inconvenient for them not to have access to their email etc. as their email accounts will be set up to use your I.P. address. Could you move the router to the far side of the house away from the side that faces your neighbour? Stick a sheet of tin-foil on the wall facing them? Foil lined curtains?

How essential is it for you to use the wireless facility?

D.