Legal and Ethical Aspects of Wardriving

Architecture and Background

Legal and Ethical Aspects of WarDriving Matthew L. Shuchman ("Pilgrim"), Founder & National Security Advisor, WarDrivingWorld.com Frank Thornton, Blackthorn Systems ("Thorn") Robert V. Hale II, Lawyer This is a proposal for a panel discussion on the legality of accessing WiFi signals without the permission of the owner and will include a review of the legal and ethical issues presented by freely available WiFi both to the owner of the AP and to the users.

Vulnerability Analysis

Included in the panel will be a presentation of recent cases involving WiFi access, WarDriving, and theft of data by WiFi, as well as a review of the Federal laws that cover use and misuse of WiFi including the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA.) The panel members hope is that by presenting some of the legal and ethical issues that we can take the first steps towards guidelines for ethical conduct while WarDriving (and Bluesnarfing.) The panel chairperson and organizer is Matthew L. Shuchman (Pilgrim,) who began as a hacker in the days of punch cards. Mr.

Exploitation and Demonstrations

Shuchman is a founder of WarDrivingWorld.com, a web-based retailer of WarDriving and extended range WiFi hardware and a published author on business and the need for data security, see: McGrawHill/AMACOM, "The Art of the Turnaround". Mr. Shuchman has obtained commitments from two other panel members: Frank Thornton (Thorn,) who runs a wireless technology consulting firm, Blackthorn System.

Remediation and Defensive Strategies

Thorn is the co-author of "WarDriving; Drive, Detect, Defend", and a retired member of the law enforcement community. Robert V. Hale II, San Francisco-based lawyer, author of the recent article"Wi-Fi Liability: Potential Legal Risks in Accessing and Operating Wireless Internet," and advisor to the Cyberspace Committee of the California Bar. We are waiting for commitments from at least one other potential panel member.