Operation RoadDevil: Secret Service probes wireless networks in Washington

R. A. Hettinga rah at shipwright.com
Mon Sep 30 23:19:25 EDT 2002


http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/4181308.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp


Posted on Mon, Sep. 30, 2002


Secret Service probes wireless networks in Washington



WASHINGTON (AP) - Secret Service agents are putting a high-tech twist on
the idea of a cop walking the beat. Using a laptop computer and an antenna
fashioned from a Pringles potato chip can, they are looking for security
holes in wireless networks in the nation's capital.

The agency best known for protecting the president and chasing down
counterfeiters has started addressing what it calls one of the most
overlooked threats to computer networks.

``Everybody wants wireless, it's real convenient,'' Special Agent Wayne
Peterson said. ``Security has always been an afterthought.''

The effort is part of a new government plan to build relationships with
businesses so that they will feel more comfortable reporting hacking
attempts to authorities. Recent anti-terrorism legislation gave the FBI and
Secret Service joint jurisdiction over electronic crimes.

Wireless networks are cheap; a small one can start at less than $200. They
make it easy for workers to wander around with their laptop or handheld
computers and for visiting employees with their own computers to get on to
the local office network.

These networks are becoming common in airports, universities, coffee
houses, businesses, homes and even some public squares. But they are sold
with no security measures, and protecting a wireless network from hackers
takes more knowledge than what network installation guides typically offer.

Because of security concerns, the White House recently proposed banning
some wireless networks in federal agencies. Faced with industry protests,
the administration dropped the idea when it released a draft version of its
cybersecurity plan this month.

That has led some independent security researchers to drive -- or even use
a private plane to fly -- through cities to map networks. Those maps, which
are usually posted on the Internet, show where a person can get a free
Internet connection on a private network.

The Secret Service wants to let businesses know that their Internet
connections and private networks might be at risk. Companies informed about
security holes can reconfigure their networks to make them more secure.

Peterson's tools are a laptop, a wireless network card and one of three
antennae mounted on his car. One is a small metal antenna; the second is a
large, white, 2-foot-tall tube; the third is a homemade antenna made out of
a Pringles can. They boost the reception of his wireless network card,
allowing the agent to point them in different directions to get the best
signal.

A Pringles can is ideal because of its shape -- a long tube that lets
someone to point it at specific buildings -- and its aluminum inner lining.
It acts like a satellite dish, collecting signals and bouncing them to the
receiver, which is then wired into a laptop.

Peterson recently drove down a major Washington street and found over 20
wireless networks, many of which had no security at all. Peterson said his
probes are part of good police work, like a patrolman driving through a
neighborhood.

``I feel it is part of crime prevention to knock on the door,'' Peterson said.

The act of ``wardriving,'' a term taken from older ``wardialing'' programs
that called random telephone numbers looking for unlisted modems, has
become so prevalent that enthusiasts are using chalk marks on streets and
sidewalks to point out networks in public places.

Peterson said there has not been any reported ``warchalking'' in the
Washington area yet, but if one was found agents would alert the network
owner.

Chris McFarland, head of the Secret Service's Electronic Crimes Task Force,
said his agents have begun evaluating computer security along with other
concerns when they scout out a place where the president or other protected
dignitary will go.

McFarland said, for example, that agents have had extensive discussions
with officials at George Washington Hospital about improving its wireless
network security.

While the agents plan to offer their expertise to anyone who asks, they are
focusing on places most important to their mission of protecting public
officials. The hospital is several blocks from the White House and treated
Vice President Dick Cheney during his heart problems.

Agents also checked out computer systems at the Salt Lake City Olympics,
last year's Super Bowl and the World Bank in advance of weekend protests.

``People can wreak havoc with these systems very easily,'' McFarland said.
``It's almost like triage.''

-- 
-----------------
R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

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