wireless network unauthorized access/use?

Question

what are the rules/laws regarding unauthorized access and use of a wireless internet connection that is not mine. what if you have access to a wireless network from my home and property and the wireless network has no firewall and are able to gain access.........is that illegal or is it public domain????

Answer 1

It is unethical more than anything. You cannot control the fact that your computer seizes access to a wireless network. The bigger problem you could have is your computer being scanned by the network and you know what that does for your privacy! A router provides the main or designated computer with the IP addresses of all computers in the network, both known and unknown.

Answer 2

checking is actually relatively hard, it is a lot easier to prevent it. the one possible way to check it is to check the DHCP leases. if there are any computers there that you don't recognize, it could be someone else using your network. they best ways to prevent it: use WPA2 encryption. It hasn't been cracked by anyone (it would take millions of years by brute force). if they don't know the password, they can't use your network. if you only use the same few computer on your network, and never other ones, using a MAC filter will make sure only the computers with the specific addresses you put in will be allowed to connect. the bottom line is that if you put a password on your network, people won't bother trying to connect to it and will look for a network w/o a password.

Answer 3

it is the same laws as for wired networks. unauthorized access to wireless networks without firewall is still illegal.

Answer 4

It is not public domain, and it is considered illegal to use a wireless signal without permission.

A recent case in Ohio had a man in his car using a wireless signal from someone's house and was fined $250.

Answer 5

If you know whose network it is ask them for permission, then no matter what it would be fine.