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Whitehouse use wireless?

PostPosted: Thu Jan 09, 2003 8:33 am
by Mirlyn
Does anyone know if the Whitehouse uses wireless? Didn't the government stop using .11b for certain branches and/or locations? I've heard the military isn't supposed to use it...

Per this thread, it sounds like the west wing isn't wireless (or being detected, whichever), but what about the rest of it?

Got stopped last night and accused of hacking and was (somehow) associated with people hacking into the whitehouse wireless networks. :) Just doing some followup homework.

Thanks

Re: Whitehouse use wireless?

PostPosted: Thu Jan 09, 2003 8:36 am
by renderman
Originally posted by Mirlyn
Got stopped last night and accused of hacking and was (somehow) associated with people hacking into the whitehouse wireless networks. :) Just doing some followup homework.

Thanks


Now you have our attention. Details would be nice.

Here's hoping you were'nt doing something stupid

PostPosted: Thu Jan 09, 2003 8:57 am
by Mirlyn
Here's hoping you were'nt doing something stupid

Wow, gee, thanks for the vote of confidence. ;)

I'm on my way out to work, but basically I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I turned into this apartment complex minutes after a burglary on the other side of the apartment complex. Police had just arrived. When they asked me where I was heading I told them I was just passing through. That caught their attention enough to question me further regarding why I was "passing through" at 1:30am. :)

Paul Harvey wants to hear "the rest of the story"!

PostPosted: Thu Jan 09, 2003 10:59 am
by nashr
Okay, you've told us why you were stopped, but nothing here tells us why you were associated with someone hacking into Whitehouse Wireless connections.

Were you stumbling? Carrying any stumbling gear? Waving your pringles can at the officers in a threatening manner?|

What else happened?

PostPosted: Thu Jan 09, 2003 8:56 pm
by Mirlyn
No, sorry, I work all day and most the night so I didn't get a chance to finish my story :)

I went out to return a rented DVD (for the record, XXX is not worth the money to even rent in my opinion) around 11pm and while out decided to get gas. While standing at the pump, I got a hankerin to fire up the laptop. And thus, a night of wardriving began :).

I hit up the highways and made a few turns here and there and found myself in a upper-class neighborhood where an AP (sometimes two) was/were found at nearly every mailbox. I swear I could almost see the packets there were so many. ;) Anyhoo, I looked down at the time and it was 12:45, so I figured I better start heading back to my side of town. As I got off the highway on my side of town, I hit two APs at the entrance to this apartment complex. By this time, its ~1:20am. I turned around and drove the perimeter road around the complex. I noticed a car parked with tailights on and nothing else on a lane that went through the middle of the complex. I rounded the corner of that row of apartments and a man running with a flashlight came towards me. He held up the light and flashed it several times (waving it back and forth) and directed me to pull up next to him. As I got closer I saw the uniform and pulled over and rolled down the window as he approached. I also happened to be parked in such a way that I saw the front of the vehicle I saw earlier and at that time noticed the lightbar (it wasn't on though). The officer said good evening, and asked where I was heading. I told him I was just passing through. He asked why I was just passing through. I told him its a hobby I have called wardriving. Whats that, he asks. I use this laptop, and that large piece of PVC as an antenna with this GPS (pointing each one out) to plot the coordinates. He bends over and shines the flashlight in my face and says "You're hacking into people's networks?" I calmly tell him "No sir, I only map them. I have no interest nor desire to do any such thing." He says what are you doing in an apartment complex. I told him they're all over, apartments, duplexes, houses, even hotels. He says "you know, people drive by the whitehouse trying to get into their network." I told him "Well sir, to be honest, there is a big difference between finding a network and getting into it." He then askes for my license and takes down the info and asks me my DOB, social, address. I answer them all, and then said "Do you mind telling me what this is about sir?" He then told me a few cars just got broken into and he witnessed the car take off through the neighborhood and I just happened to be in the area at the same time. He also wanted to know where I worked, where I go to school (saw my college ID when I got out my license) and what I did with the infomation I gathered when wardriving. I told him there are groups of people simply committed to maping the spread of WiFi technology across the nation and world. He then gave me back my information and told me to get out of here.

Thats the story. :) I did nothing wrong but be in the wrong place at the wrong time. :)

Anyone have any info on the government's use of 802.11b? Googling comes up with way too much info on the two separate terms, but nothing directly related between the two.

Thanks :)

Interesting story...

PostPosted: Fri Jan 10, 2003 4:29 am
by nashr
and a piece of bad timing. Bummer.

I can neither confirm nor deny the usage of wireless networking gear within the vicinity of the White House or any other government facility.



:D

Re: Interesting story...

PostPosted: Fri Jan 10, 2003 5:13 am
by Thorn
Originally posted by nashr
I can neither confirm nor deny the usage of wireless networking gear within the vicinity of the White House or any other government facility.

:D



;)

PostPosted: Fri Jan 10, 2003 3:51 pm
by JoeTampa
The Government is both using and not using 802.11.


Let me explain.


Just like the commercial world, the Government has several difference stances on 802.11 all at the same time. While it can generally be said that most groups have stopped (or never started) using 802.11 due to security concerns, certain groups have found and are using security solutions. I can tell you that the US Army is using 802.11 (with security) in the battlefield, and that other agencies are pursuing it as well. Do a Google search on ARMY and WLAN and you should find links.

PostPosted: Thu Feb 13, 2003 7:13 pm
by joeputer

PostPosted: Fri Feb 28, 2003 7:46 pm
by jsicuran
I beleive there were several article in trade rags recently about the Pentagon asking all government offices to turn off their wireless networks.

/JS

PostPosted: Sat Mar 01, 2003 6:22 am
by Madhadder
As if that will happen...

The Govt.

1. usually take forever to do anything.
2. Dept/branch's can never agree with another.

Typical Govt. Politics..