IT

How to hack a wifi network in a few minutes

Team Observers — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:38:41 +0200

You don't have to be an IT expert to be able to make use of your neighbour's security enabled Wifi network. Just watch one of the dozens of online videos that explains how.

Despite most of them being fitted with some kind of password (WEP, WPA etc.), Wifi networks are still relatively vulnerable. And by using another person's network, hackers can illegally download documents or attack websites without being traced.

If pirates should download paedophilic pornography, it's the owner of the home network, the person who pays the monthly wireless fee, who will find himself in court. In France, an anti-piracy law called Hadopi 2 enforces this by making it impossible to sentence a home network owner for having a poorly protected network.

This video, viewed over a million times, shows how, with the aid of software, you can get hold of the password to a wireless network.

"I don't want my friends to know that I'm fired"

Julien — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:57:01 +0200

Xiao Peng was laid off in November 2008. He was the primary source of financial support to his parents. He preferred to remain anonymous to avoid being recognised by his close friends, who are unaware of his current situation.

A small lesson in internet security, by Sarah Palin

Sophie Team Observers — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 10:01:02 +0200

The police have arrested the student suspected of hacking into Sarah Palin's inbox on 16 September. Our Observer, an internet security expert, explains why you should be wary of webmail.

The mails that were published online didn't reveal anything particularly sensitive, but the politician has been strongly criticised for having used her personal email for professional subjects, risking the disclosure of state secrets. As a governor, she has a secure ".gov" email address which she can check at any time, for example using a Blackberry. But she preferred to secure her messages her own way, not wanting them to remain on the government servers, according to The New York Times.

On Sunday, the FBI arrested a suspect. And the hacker, student David Kernell, just so happens to be the son of a Democratic deputy in Tennessee. Agents found him bragging, under a penname, on a discussion forum. Not such an IT genius then - how did he manage to hack Sarah Palin's Yahoo account?