9. p :4 6B - The Michigan Daily - Weekend Magazine - Thursday, November 21, 2002 The attack of the eavesdropping neighbors The Michigan Daily - Weekend Magazine - Th i ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I - - SECRETS OF THE P Jeffrey Powers For the Daily Have you ever wanted to rid your apartment walls of those unsightly computer wires? If you are living in a dorm, you are probably getting your first taste of what it feels like to be caught in a spider-web built of what EECS majors like to call Cat5 cable. The solution to emerge from this tan- gled mess is a technology that has exploded into use here and on nearly every college campus. WLAN, 802.11, Wi-Fi, are labels synonymous with what recent Michigan graduate Chad O'Neil simply called "a wireless wire." O'Neil, an early adopter, began using wireless web here on campus in 2000. "We used it in our old apartment to share a cable modem between two rooms ... We couldn't really have done it without wireless," he said. The prevalence of wireless is increasing sharply and demand is driv- ing costs down. Best Buy sold nearly all its wireless inventory during Welcome Week. "We have increased our selection of wireless products. We have even added two new product lines from Belkin and Microsoft since the back-to-school rush," says Brooke Reinbold, an LSA senior and a Best Buy sales representative in Ann Arbor. "A lot of people don't want to run long wires, and wireless actually can be cheaper than buying 100 feet of wire," Reinbold claimed. LSA freshman Catherine Morris said the Telluride House is getting wireless, courtesy of her "Crazy Computer Science major" friend who is providing the labor and expertise. But she wasn't turned off by the idea. She admitted, "It's not dorky, and I think it will become more widely used." If this all seems too good to be true, it just might be. The ease of connecting to a wireless network may put that net- work at the mercy of computer hack- ers. In October, I set out to determine exactly how and where wireless was being used on campus. I used a laptop, GPS and wireless card to map access points near central and north campus. Most APs radiate signals approximate- ly 300 feet in all directions, conve- niently right through the windshield of the car used to collect the data shown on the map above. This research revealed two signifi- cant points. First is the incredible prevalence of access points. Nearly 500 access points were located in the vicin- ity of campus, and most were student- operated. This means there is a good chance your neighbor may be using a wireless network. The second point is that at least 77 percent of these net- works have no security. Consequently, the neighbor who doesn't have a wire- less network might be using yours. LSA Freshman Alexander Sadovsky, co-founder of airhome.net, a company that facilitates wireless installations, said, "I could definitely get internet access from many APs around campus. When a Microsoft representative came to discuss tablet PCs about a week ago, he reported that he was ablesto get internet access in every coffee shop he entered. I am amazed how many people leave their computers completely vulnerable to attack." But his concern may translate to excitement for others with less noble intentions (such as that neigh- bor who is using your wireless). Despite her attempts at Best Buy to make sure her customers understand ,. j< 802.11b Wireless Networks Near Central Campus 0T Ali Ramlawi, owner ofJerusalem Gan JERUSALEM GARDEN'S HO I E Huron r. . .. o -I .,,:. y ;. i -l ) Dia9 . ...- I : dip# '90i look-46 v :9 a'.1,61. XF A" w :; ,; . :: t r '': ..; , > y: .. ykn .st . ... . " .... 55na^.'. ... Odra ": ;.... h z ,R .; v!' ""t :.. y a INGREDIENTS 1 14 oz. can of cooked chick peas 1 cup of taheeni 4 fresh peeled cloves of garlic 2 tsps. of salt 114 cup lemon juice INSTRUCTIONS The recipe uses dried chick peas, but to save time, you can use canned. Boil the chick for 25 minutes lemon juice in peas and add the taheeni an cold water. I mix it a litt Blend on med When it is c juice or salt to RYAN WEINER/Daily Jerusalem Garden Is located at 307 S. Fifth Avenue. . ., . .. .. . .... -. . ., . . . . . . . --------------------------------------- QUESTION OF THE WEEK "Which relative are you least excited about seeing and why?" 77% Not Protected O Secure With the majority of the campus' wireless networks left unprotected, It is easy for anyone to gain free access to the Inter- net, provided they have their own wireless card. the vulnerabilities of wireless, Reinbold feels, "(Students) are not really informed what the risks are, and they won't be likely to secure their net- works until they are victimized." The problem is that most security breaches go unnoticed and may not cause any visible side-effects. Fortunately, it is not difficult to keep casual hackers out of personal net- works. Wireless hardware includes a built-in security measure called Wired Equivalent Privacy, which scrambles messages sent through the air, rendering ineffective a hacking technique called "sniffing." Instructions for enabling WEP can be found in the documenta- tion of all wireless equipment. If not used, it is very easy to intercept com- munications between wireless users and access points. But students aren't taking the time to enable WEP. Considering that 77 percent of wireless networks on campus do not use WEP, Sadovsky says, "There would be nothing stopping some kid with a laptop and a perchance for dis- order to go and wreak havoc on town. I have heard stories of people stealing naked pictures of girlfriends, printing out porn on people's printers and conducting illegal activities and more from random access points." But WEP is not perfect - even the founders of Wi-Fi have com- mented on its ineffectiveness against advanced attacks - so it is important to consider additional security options. This is not intended to scare students back to prehistoric technological times (like say, 1995?). Look again at this pic- ture. It is arguably a glimpse of some- thing bigger. In the very near future, wireless will be available everywhere on campus. Currently, the University has wireless in the Union, the Business School and the Media Union, and plans exist for expansion elsewhere. Students with laptops will be able to download lecture materials while attending lec- ture, opening up vast new opportunities for procrastination. There are ideas to create decentralized wireless networks, where data could instantly transmit from one wireless device to another until it is allowed traverse the internet to its ultimate destination. There will be new ways to misuse these new develop- ments, but security will evolve to try to keep up with the threats. It is the responsibility of manufacturers and retailers to inform consumers of the options for security, and it is our respon- sibility to listen. So skim through the security sec- tion of that little manual that came with your fancy new wireless equip- ment ... before that neighbor turns in your thesis. "My cousin Jessica. She's a fresh- man in college, and she tends to like to compare everything. She gets on my nerves." - Engineering freshman Jennifer Sanch "My sister. She's a bitch" - LSA junior Jamie Coleman "My uncle, because if Ohio State University wins this weekend, I'll have to hear all about it." - LSA sophomore Matt Cassidy "My grandma, because she can't hear what I say. - Engineering sophomore Lindsay Shuler "I hate all my relatives evenly. - Rackham student John Ku "All my little cousins.They're little brats: - Engineering junior Paul Belden Compiled by Graham Kelly FAR FROM HEAVEN From director Todd Haynes comes a powerful and telling story of forbidden love. Starring Julianne Moore. Opens tomorrow! l i WEEKEND RULES. A look at the underside of U of M J We invite you to join us in celebrating our, anniversary of fine Chinese cuisine! Szechuan, Hunan & Mandarin Specialties Pine-in or Carry-out Expires 1 2/1 5/02 Not valid with any other offer Y) MTh11t30-1 1 Fri &Sat 1 1:30-11, Sun 12-11 Last Half-Hour ak Carry-Out Only MOVIE MILESTONES, a film series featuring some of the very best in movie-making, is coming to Madstone Theaters. Fridays, beginning November 15th, Madstone Theaters will offer a four-week film series featuring one classic a week. THE GODFATHER, THE GODFATHER 11, JULES & JIM & CITIZEN KANE. Stop by Liberty Street Video or Campus Video and register to win a series of prizes! Beginning 11/19-12/6 look for the MOVIE MILESTONES display and register to win prizes provided by Waldenbooks and Madstone Theaters. Winners will be notified by phone. Must be 18 years or older to register. W. LIBERTY Z *Z SZE * CHUAN BI M WEST stadim CAR \ WASH W. STADIUM (near Stadium & Liberty open 7 days wee www.universitysecrets.eom