Let’s Go WarDriving

Jan 16 2013

WarDriving – the act of searching for Wi-Fi networks from a moving vehicle, driven by someone interested in mapping the locations of Wireless Access Points (WAPs)

Lists are totalled: how many WiFis are locked, unlocked? What’s yours?

Favourite line:

Contrary to its name, wardriving is a relaxed style of driving … when you get down to it, wardriving is actually pretty boring. But the information it yields is not.

They used my collage! Love when that happens.

That’s 3 now (Stick Families are a Terrible Idea, and More Decorum, Please).

Read all my columns here. I started August 2012.

I have great news – as of today, my columns are now published on Autonet.ca! Until now, they printed and that was it, gone.

As a professional documenter, oh the anxiety that created.

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Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index

How to Change Your Router Password

Oct 30 2012

It’s not that I don’t trust the guy setting it up, but, why rely on someone else for my own security?

Things you’ll need.

1 – access to your router
2 – a CAT 5 cable, connecting your router, into your computer
3 – a flashlight
4 – a pin to push the ‘reset’ button on the router
5 – a password manager

Okay here we go!

Reset your router. Push the tiny reset button on the back using your pin, hold for 30 seconds. I also unplug/plug it back in, for good measure. This will clear all your settings… your WiFi name and password, everything. It’s like we have a brand new router now.

Use your cable to connect computer to router. Plug into ‘Port 1’ on your router.

Open a new browser window, we’re going to log into your router. Use this chart for what IP address, to type into the address bar of your browser:

Don’t see yours above? Use this site to look it up.

Log into your router. Type the IP address into the address/URL bar of your browser, then log in using the username and password.

Here we are inside my router.

First change the name of your router, and the password.

Now we’re going to secure your WiFi. Find your ‘wireless security’ tab, look for the SSID.

SSID = name of your WiFi

1 – Name your WiFi network
2 – don’t click that, we’re going to keep your WiFi network hidden (security through obscurity)
3 – change the channel to anything other than the default. Your internet will be faster. I’ll explain why in video sometime, for now just do it.

For example, here’s my settings:

Router Name – $r}W68@2%J
Router Password – 8fXM(e;?sbU67R#Za$hk
WiFi Username – $8LP^y:6[e4r
WiFi Password – iq7B:f<o3e4xa[%GuP,g

Make sure your password includes numbers, letters and symbols, and is at least 15 characters long. 15 is the magic number, again I’ll explain why in video.

Copy the changes into your password manager. Save all your changes. Unhook the cables, you’re done, good work.

Do this regularly. I change mine 1/month.

How I Went Online at Black Hat and DefCon

Aug 1 2012

I didn’t. That’s the safest way.

When I absolutely had to, I connected from my hotel room, uncomfortably… they all have to stay somewhere. And hotel WiFi networks are like, a sport.

1 – if you have a newer laptop like mine, it didn’t come with an ethernet port. That $30 attachment gives you one
2 – surge protect your laptop. Don’t plug $000s into a shoddy socket, and I doubt you’re backed up, I’ve mentioned this
3 – I cover my camera

Don’t forget old-fashioned pen & paper.

Every year the press makes a big sensationalized deal about DefCon being “the most hostile network in the world“. Duh guys; it’s the world’s largest security conference, it’d be dissapointing if it wasn’t.

At DefCon they have the ‘Wall of Sheep‘.

It’s a ‘wall of shame’. The network is passively watched, and if your security sucks, your username and password will be captured, displayed and mocked.

There was a time when the full name and password were displayed. Not for years now though. And you know, DefCon felt different this year, I’ll explain in another post.