I agree with Andrew. If you can't even lock the door, then you are inviting whatever behavior happens. In fact, I advise my clients to not put "Welcome to XYZ Corp" on their logo screens because lawyers have interpreted this to mean, "Come on in!" I think the argument that people/companies don't want to know contains a particle of truth, but it is definitely not universally true. The very first thing my clients ask me is about security. If they didn't want to know, then they wouldn't ask. However, I remain interested in the group's feeling about seeking out open access points and offering assistance. The way I read the law, it's OK to associate with an open AP, but if you consume resources (beyond, I guess, the electricity used to run the AP or its attached LAN), you are committing a crime. Anyone have any comments on this? Thanks. Mike Ellsworth StratVantage Consulting, LLC Helping Successful Companies Make Winning Technology Decisions 8273 Westwood Hills Curve St. Louis Park, MN 55426 952-525-1584 mellsworth at stratvantage.com www.StratVantage.com www.TheWiFiGuys.com They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Ben Franklin, ~1784 -----Original Message----- From: tcwug-list-admin at tcwug.org [mailto:tcwug-list-admin at tcwug.org]On Behalf Of Andrew Zimmer Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2003 4:07 PM To: tcwug-list at tcwug.org Subject: RE: [TCWUG] Why secure your WLAN? Yes, security does matter. It will matter for as long as we all will live. Why are manufacturer including WEP on their hardware at all? I doubt that it is cost effective to. In the business environment, security is becoming priority number one it is not already. The way I see wireless access points is that they are like a door. You an either leave it open or close the door with WEP or some other more advanced security. I think an open door is generally regarded as inviting but maybe it depends on the context. What does non-secure 802.11 from an unknown source in my house say? Hop on the network or say off? Anyways, it should not and does not have to be about annoying/scaring/threatening/blackmailing, it should be about education and cooperation. If TCWUG isn't informing and working with the public then what is it for? TCWUG should be helping people setup open networks as correctly as we can in their neighborhood either by doing site surveys, recommending hardware, basic guidance on AP setup, and just spreading the wireless word. Andrew _______________________________________________ Twin Cities Wireless Users Group Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota http://www.tcwug.org tcwug-list at tcwug.org https://mailman.real-time.com/mailman/listinfo/tcwug-list _______________________________________________ Twin Cities Wireless Users Group Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota http://www.tcwug.org tcwug-list at tcwug.org https://mailman.real-time.com/mailman/listinfo/tcwug-list