Wardriving
Encyclopedia
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
wireless network
Wireless network
Wireless network refers to any type of computer network that is not connected by cables of any kind. It is a method by which homes, telecommunications networks and enterprise installations avoid the costly process of introducing cables into a building, or as a connection between various equipment...
s by a person in a moving vehicle, using a portable computer, smartphone
Smartphone
A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
or PDA
Personal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
.
Software
Computer software
Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....
for wardriving is freely available on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, notably NetStumbler
NetStumbler
NetStumbler is a tool for Windows that facilitates detection of Wireless LANs using the 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g WLAN standards. It runs on Microsoft Windows operating systems from Windows 2000 to Windows XP...
, inSSIDer
Inssider
inSSIDer is a Wi-Fi network scanner for Windows. It received a 2008 Infoworld Bossie Award for "Best of open source software in networking".-History:...
or Ekahau Heat Mapper for Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
; Kismet or SWScanner for Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
, FreeBSD
FreeBSD
FreeBSD is a free Unix-like operating system descended from AT&T UNIX via BSD UNIX. Although for legal reasons FreeBSD cannot be called “UNIX”, as the direct descendant of BSD UNIX , FreeBSD’s internals and system APIs are UNIX-compliant...
, NetBSD
NetBSD
NetBSD is a freely available open source version of the Berkeley Software Distribution Unix operating system. It was the second open source BSD descendant to be formally released, after 386BSD, and continues to be actively developed. The NetBSD project is primarily focused on high quality design,...
, OpenBSD
OpenBSD
OpenBSD is a Unix-like computer operating system descended from Berkeley Software Distribution , a Unix derivative developed at the University of California, Berkeley. It was forked from NetBSD by project leader Theo de Raadt in late 1995...
, DragonFly BSD
DragonFly BSD
DragonFly BSD is a free Unix-like operating system created as a fork of FreeBSD 4.8. Matthew Dillon, an Amiga developer in the late 1980s and early 1990s and a FreeBSD developer between 1994 and 2003, began work on DragonFly BSD in June 2003 and announced it on the FreeBSD mailing lists on July...
, and Solaris; and KisMac
KisMAC
KisMAC is a wireless network discovery tool for Mac OS X. It has a wide range of features, similar to those of Kismet...
for Macintosh. There are also homebrew wardriving applications for handheld game consoles that support Wi-fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
, such as sniff_jazzbox/wardive for the Nintendo DS, Road Dog
Road Dog
Road Dog may refer to:* Roadog, the world's largest motorcycle, built by William "Wild Bill" Gelbke* Brian Gerard James, the WWF wrestler known as "The Road Dogg" Jesse James...
for the Sony PSP, WiFi-Where
WiFi-Where
WiFi-Where is a tool for the iPhone and the PalmOS that facilitates detection of Wireless LANs using the 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g WLAN standards. Originally created in June 2004 for the PalmOS by Jonathan Hays of Hazelware Software, the IP for WiFi-Where was licensed to Three Jacks Software in...
for the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, and G-MoN and Wardrive for the Android operating system and WlanPollution for Symbian
Symbian
Symbian is a mobile operating system and computing platform designed for smartphones and currently maintained by Accenture. The Symbian platform is the successor to Symbian OS and Nokia Series 60; unlike Symbian OS, which needed an additional user interface system, Symbian includes a user...
NokiaS60 devices. There also exists a mode within Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
is a stealth game directed by Masahiro Yamamoto and written by Gakuto Mikumo, with series creator Hideo Kojima acting as a producer. Portable Ops was developed by Kojima Productions and published by Konami in 2006 for the PlayStation Portable. It is the third Metal Gear title for the PSP and the...
for the Sony PSP (wherein the player is able to find new comrades by searching for wireless access points) which can be used to wardrive. Treasure World
Treasure World
Treasure World is an adventure game developed by Aspyr and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. The game is unique, as its gameplay consists mainly of collecting, making use of Wi-Fi signals picked up by the handheld.-Story:...
for the DS is a commercial game in which gameplay wholly revolves around wardriving.
Etymology
Wardriving originated from wardialing, a technique popularized by a character played by Matthew BroderickMatthew Broderick
Matthew Broderick is an American film and stage actor who, among other roles, played the title character in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Adult Simba in The Lion King film series, and Leo Bloom in the film and Broadway productions of The Producers.He has won two Tony Awards, one in 1983 for his...
in the film WarGames
WarGames
WarGames is a 1983 American Cold War suspense/science-fiction film written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes and directed by John Badham. The film stars Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy....
, and named after that film. Wardialing in this context refers to the practice of using a computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
to dial many phone
Phone
Within phonetics, a phone is:* a speech sound or gesture considered a physical event without regard to its place in the phonology of a language* a speech segment that possesses distinct physical or perceptual properties...
numbers in the hopes of finding an active modem
Modem
A modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data...
.
Warbiking is essentially the same as wardriving, but it involves searching for wireless networks while on a moving bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
or motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
. This activity is sometimes facilitated by the mounting of a Wi-Fi capable device on the vehicle itself.
Warwalking (sometimes warjogging) is similar in nature to wardriving, except that it is done on foot rather than conducted from a moving vehicle. The disadvantages of this approach consist in slower speed of travel (resulting in fewer and more infrequently discovered networks) and the absence of a convenient computing environment. Consequently, handheld devices such as Pocket PC
Pocket PC
A Pocket PC is also known by Microsoft as a 'Windows Mobile Classic device'. It is a hardware specification for a handheld-sized computer, personal digital assistant , that runs the Microsoft 'Windows Mobile Classic' operating system...
s, which can perform such tasks while one is walking or standing, have predominated in this area. The inclusion of integrated Wi-Fi (rather than a CF
CompactFlash
CompactFlash is a mass storage device format used in portable electronic devices. Most CompactFlash devices contain flash memory in a standardized enclosure. The format was first specified and produced by SanDisk in 1994...
or PCMCIA
PC Card
In computing, PC Card is the form factor of a peripheral interface designed for laptop computers. The PC Card standard was defined and developed by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association which itself was created by a number of computer industry companies in the United States...
add-in card) in Dell Axim
Dell Axim
The Dell Axim family of personal digital assistants was Dell's line of Windows Mobile-powered Pocket PC Devices. The first model, the Axim X5, was introduced in 2002, while the final model, the Axim X51, was discontinued on April 9, 2007....
, Compaq iPAQ
IPAQ
iPAQ presently refers to a Pocket PC and personal digital assistant first unveiled by Compaq in April 2000; the name was borrowed from Compaq's earlier iPAQ Desktop Personal Computers. Since Hewlett-Packard's acquisition of Compaq, the product has been marketed by HP. The devices use a Windows...
and Toshiba
Toshiba
is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
Pocket PCs beginning in 2002 — and, more recently, an active Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
and Sony PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
enthusiast community possessing Wi-Fi capabilities on these devices — has expanded the extent of this practice, as have the newer smartphone
Smartphone
A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
s which also integrate GPS
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
.
Warrailing (sometimes Wartraining) is a similar in nature to wardriving, except that it is done on a train/tram/other rail based vehicle rather than conducted from a moving vehicle. The disadvantages of this approach consist in higher speed of travel (resulting in fewer and more infrequently discovered networks), and often limited routes.
Warkitting
is a combination of wardriving and rootkitting. In a warkitting attack, a hacker replaces the firmware of an attacked router. This allows them to control all traffic for the victim, and could even permit them to disable SSL by replacing HTML content as it is being downloaded.
Warkitting was identified by Tsow, Jakobsson, Yang, and Wetzel in 2006. Their discovery indicated that 10% of the wireless routers were susceptible to WAPjacking (malicious configuring of the firmware settings, but making no modification on the firmware itself) and 4.4% of wireless routers were vulnerable to WAPkitting (subverting the router firmware). Their analysis showed that the volume of credential theft possible through Warkitting exceeded the estimates of credential theft due to phishing.
Mapping
WiGLE (WiFi)
WiGLE, or Wireless Geographic Logging Engine, is a website for collecting information about the different wireless hotspots around the world...
, openBmap or Geomena where the data is processed to form maps of the network neighborhood. There are also clients available for smartphones running iOS
IOS
iOS is an operating system for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Apple TV.IOS may also refer to:-Companies and organisations:* Illinois Ornithological Society, American state-based bird club...
or Android that can upload data directly. For better range and sensitivity, antennas are built or bought, and vary from omnidirectional to highly directional.
The maps of known network IDs can then be used as a geolocation
Geolocation
Geolocation is the identification of the real-world geographic location of an object, such as a radar, mobile phone or an Internet-connected computer terminal...
system — an alternative to GPS — by triangulating the current position from the signal strengths of known network IDs. Examples include Place Lab by Intel, Skyhook
Skyhook Wireless
Skyhook Wireless is a Boston-based company that developed a technology for determining geographical location using Wi-Fi as the underlying reference system. Using the MAC addresses of nearby wireless access points and proprietary algorithms, Skyhook's Wi-Fi Positioning System WPS can determine...
, Navizon
Navizon
Navizon is a hybrid positioning system combining GPS, Wi-Fi and Cellular triangulation techniques. It calculates the geographic location of a wireless device by analyzing the signals from nearby Wi-Fi access points and cellular towers and comparing it against a database of known data points...
by Cyril Houri
Cyril Houri
Cyril Lionel Houri is a New York-based entrepreneur who has founded two geolocation technology companies: InfoSplit, Inc. and Mexens Technology Inc.. Houri has designed IP address geolocation, WiFi and cellular positioning technologies, and has testified as an expert witness on location-based...
, SeekerLocate from Seeker Wireless
Seeker Wireless
Seeker Wireless is a company based in Sydney, Australia, that develops a range of technologies for mobile positioning, including a Hybrid positioning system....
, openBmap and Geomena. Navizon and openBmap combines information from Wi-Fi and cell phone tower maps contributed by users from Wi-Fi-equipped cell phones. In addition to location finding, this provides navigation information, and allows for the tracking of the position of friends, and geotagging
GeoTagging
Geotagging is the process of adding geographical identification metadata to various media such as a geotagged photograph or video, websites, SMS messages, QR Codes or RSS feeds and is a form of geospatial metadata...
.
In December 2004, a class of 100 undergraduates worked to map the city of Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
over several weeks. They found 5,225 access points; 44% were secured with WEP
Wired Equivalent Privacy
Wired Equivalent Privacy is a weak security algorithm for IEEE 802.11 wireless networks. Introduced as part of the original 802.11 standard ratified in September 1999, its intention was to provide data confidentiality comparable to that of a traditional wired network...
encryption, 52% were open, and 3% were pay-for-access. They noticed trends in the frequency and security of the networks depending on location. Many of the open networks were clearly intended to be used by the general public, with network names like "Open to share, no porn please" or "Free access, be nice." The information was collected into high-resolution maps, which were published online.
Antennas
- CantennaCantennaA cantenna is a directional waveguide antenna for long-range Wi-Fi used to increase the range of a wireless network.- Origin of the name:...
- WokFiWokFiWokFi is a term now commonly used to indicate a style of Wi-Fi antenna made out of simple low-cost Asian cookware scoops, or similar easy-to-find household metallic reflective items.-Description:...
Wireless access point receivers can be modified to extend their ability for picking up and connecting to wireless access points. This can be done with an ordinary metal wire, and a metal dish that is used to form a directional antenna. Other similar devices can be modified in this way too, likewise, not only directional antennas can be created, but USB-WiFi-stick antennas can be used as well.
Confusion with piggybacking
Wardrivers are only out to log and collect information about the wireless access pointWireless access point
In computer networking, a wireless access point is a device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or related standards...
s (WAPs) they find while driving, without using the networks' services.
Connecting to the network and using its services without explicit authorization is referred to as piggybacking
Piggybacking (internet access)
Piggybacking on Internet access is the practice of establishing a wireless Internet connection by using another subscriber's wireless Internet access service without the subscriber's explicit permission or knowledge. It is a legally and ethically controversial practice, with laws that vary by...
.
The terms have been interchanged in the press, however. For instance, an m-indya article with the headline "WiFi user charged for not buying coffee" refers to a user who "piggybacked off the shop's wireless Internet service for more than three months". When reposted by Engadget
Engadget
Engadget is a multilingual technology blog network with daily coverage of gadgets and consumer electronics. Though on appearance Engadget functions much like a blog and may be defined as such, much of its editorial content takes the form of an online magazine...
, the term "wardriving" was substituted, and the headline changed to "Wardriver arrested for snagging coffee shop signal".
Typical wardriving software actually takes control of the wireless radio, making it impractical, if not impossible, to wardrive and piggyback simultaneously.
Legal and ethical considerations
Some portray wardriving as a questionable activity (typically from its association with piggybackingPiggybacking (internet access)
Piggybacking on Internet access is the practice of establishing a wireless Internet connection by using another subscriber's wireless Internet access service without the subscriber's explicit permission or knowledge. It is a legally and ethically controversial practice, with laws that vary by...
), though, from a technical viewpoint, everything is working as designed: many access points broadcast identifying data accessible to anyone with a suitable receiver. It could be compared to making a map of a neighborhood's house numbers and mail box labels.
There are no laws that specifically prohibit or allow wardriving, though many localities have laws forbidding unauthorized access of computer networks and protecting personal privacy. Google created a privacy storm in some countries after it eventually admitted systematically but surreptitiously gathering WiFi data while capturing video footage and mapping data for its Street View service. It has since been using Android-based mobile devices to gather this data.
Passive, listen-only wardriving (with programs like Kismet or KisMAC
KisMAC
KisMAC is a wireless network discovery tool for Mac OS X. It has a wide range of features, similar to those of Kismet...
) does not communicate at all with the networks, merely logging broadcast addresses. This can be likened to listening to a radio station that happens to be broadcasting in the area.
With other types of software, such as NetStumbler
NetStumbler
NetStumbler is a tool for Windows that facilitates detection of Wireless LANs using the 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g WLAN standards. It runs on Microsoft Windows operating systems from Windows 2000 to Windows XP...
, the wardriver actively sends probe messages, and the access point responds per design. The legality of active wardriving is less certain, since the wardriver temporarily becomes "associated" with the network, even though no data is transferred. Most access points, when using default "out of the box" security settings, are intended to provide wireless access to all who request it. The war driver's liability may be reduced by setting the computer to a static IP, instead of using DHCP, preventing the network from granting the computer an IP address or logging the connection.
In the United States, the case that is usually referenced in determining whether a network has been "accessed" is State v. Allen
State v. Allen
State v. Allen was a 1996 decision of the Kansas Supreme Court regarding what constitutes the unlawful access of a computer system. The court upheld the decision of the trial court, finding that the state had failed to show probable cause that the defendant, Anthony A...
. In this case, Allen had been wardialing in an attempt to get free long distance calling through Southwestern Bell
Southwestern Bell
Southwestern Bell Telephone Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T. It does business as AT&T Southwest and other d/b/a names in its operating region.The company is currently headquartered in Dallas, Texas at One AT&T Plaza.-History:...
's computer systems. When presented with a password protection screen, however, he did not attempt to bypass it. The court ruled that although he had "contacted" or "approached" the computer system, this did not constitute "access" of the company's network.
Software
- WiFi-WhereWiFi-WhereWiFi-Where is a tool for the iPhone and the PalmOS that facilitates detection of Wireless LANs using the 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g WLAN standards. Originally created in June 2004 for the PalmOS by Jonathan Hays of Hazelware Software, the IP for WiFi-Where was licensed to Three Jacks Software in...
-removed from Apple App Store - NetStumblerNetStumblerNetStumbler is a tool for Windows that facilitates detection of Wireless LANs using the 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g WLAN standards. It runs on Microsoft Windows operating systems from Windows 2000 to Windows XP...
- Kismet
- KisMACKisMACKisMAC is a wireless network discovery tool for Mac OS X. It has a wide range of features, similar to those of Kismet...
- iStumblerIStumbleriStumbler is an open source utility for finding wireless networks and devices with AirPort- or Bluetooth-enabled Macintosh computers.iStumbler was originally based on MacStumbler source code...
- InssiderInssiderinSSIDer is a Wi-Fi network scanner for Windows. It received a 2008 Infoworld Bossie Award for "Best of open source software in networking".-History:...
- WiGLEWiGLE (WiFi)WiGLE, or Wireless Geographic Logging Engine, is a website for collecting information about the different wireless hotspots around the world...
for Android
Concepts
- Honeypot (computing)Honeypot (computing)In computer terminology, a honeypot is a trap set to detect, deflect, or in some manner counteract attempts at unauthorized use of information systems...
- HotspotHotspot (Wi-Fi)A hotspot is a site that offers Internet access over a wireless local area network through the use of a router connected to a link to an Internet service provider...
- WarchalkingWarchalkingWarchalking is the drawing of symbols in public places to advertise an open Wi-Fi wireless network.Inspired by hobo symbols, the warchalking marks were conceived by a group of friends in June 2002 and publicised by Matt Jones who designed the set of icons and produced a downloadable document...
- WarXingWarXingWarXing , NetStumbling or WILDing is the activity of detecting publicly accessible computer systems or networks...
- Warspying
- Wi-Fi Network (FONFONFon is a company that operates a system of dual access wireless networks. Fon is the largest Wi-Fi network in the world, with over 4 million hotspots....
)