Forums | MacLife

ConnertheCat wrote:

And while it's theoretically possible to crack everything else, how often does it happen?  Yeah, thought so...

The problem with the example given is that it applies only to brute force cracking. There are better, more elegant ways to crack encryption, and some encryption schemes have been cracked in ways that are repeatable almost instantly no matter what the key. Once the trick is learned, the lock is useless.

,xtG
.tsooJ

Alien wrote:

MacBoy4139 wrote:

I would love to see anyone get wireless reception around the corner.  Hell, even outside the building.

In addition to my own, my PowerBook sees six wireless networks here in my house. I have the computing power to crack most enryption schemes, should I wish to do so.

Would you want me for a neighbour, assuming I had ill will and would like to snoop on you for sensitive info?

,xtG
.tsooJ

The unit next door is for sale.  I look forward to whoever buys it, as it is a good comp for me.

Macskeeball wrote:

WPA with passwords that are short or in the dictionary, yes. Extremely long and extremely random is a different story entirely. All these tools do is brute force bad passwords, as I have discussed in much more detail in earlier posts in this thread.

Are you sure that is all they do?
Here is an example of a WPA attack that doesn't brute force:

http://www.informit.com/articles/articl … 1&rl=1

That's what is publicly easy to find (quick google).
The hacks the "bad people" use aren't always so easy to find, you may not know of them - but they exist, and they do not use brute force.

-=-

I hate to break it to you - but you aren't thinking outside the rules.
Hackers do, and Crackers get the tools the Hackers write.

Kind of the "Club" - it prevented the steering wheel from turning - so the thiefs cut the steering wheel. Then they came out with some thing that locks the brake pedal to the floor - so people starting cutting off the break pedal. Then they started using these electronic keys that prevent the ignition from starting if not inserted - a small electrical charge would fry the circuit defeating them.

Brute force isn't the only way into a wifi network.

tomfoolery wrote:

Ok so this thread seems to have sweet F.A. to do with boot camp and parallels now, so I might as well chime in with this question:

My computers are all on a wireless network that is "secured" using the weaker WEP standard. I've defined my own 128-bit encryption key in favour of the 64-bit default. I'm not terribly concerned about security - I live in the country, and there aren't any other houses within a few hundred metres. However, just suppose that Doris down the road can see my network, and manages to crack my less-than-great "security". What's the worst that can happen?

I suppose she would be able to use my Internet connection, right? But I assume that Doris' computer would be listed alongside all my own in the Local Devices list of my router's Network Summary.

But what else could the mischievous old hag do? She doesn't know my OS X password, so she shouldn't be able to get into my Home folder? And my Windows machines only have the Shared Folder visible on the network, and I never keep anything of importance there.

tF

More so that what people can see of your stuff is what kind of trouble can they get you into. They can release a virus into the wild from your connection. They can download things that they normally wouldn't download on their own connections for fear of being noticed. They can set up a spam bot to use your connection or run a kiddie porn site from your home line. All sorts of things.

Even if they don't know your OS X password it still increases the possiblity of them using an exploit directly against you since they are now on the same local network as you are.