• silicon.com
• Technology
• Security

By Graeme Wearden, 30 September 2002 10:30

NEWS BT Openworld has thrown its weight behind the fight against 'Warchalking' - the practice of scrawling chalk marks on the outside of buildings with Wi-Fi networks to encourage passers by to surf on companies' unprotected bandwidth. The UK ISP is warning of the dangers of operating insecure wireless local area networks, claiming that warchalking can encourage malicious hackers to break into corporate networks. In a guide released this week, BT Openworld says the rise of warchalking shows that companies must pay more attention to the security of their wireless networks. The company issued a statement which said: "While the general idea of sharing your bandwidth with the outside world may seem like a clever idea to some, there are of course security risks associated with it. While many people accessing your network may simply be doing it to use your bandwidth rent free for a short period of time the effect may also slow down your network and create significant security issues if your network is not secure," the ISP added. Warchalkers insisted that their activities are not harmful, and have strongly rejected the claim that gaining unauthorised access to a WLAN is theft. According to warchalking.org - which also points out that some warchalking symbols are actually drawn by the person who owns or operates the wireless network - the activity is not dangerous. One warchalker wrote on the site last week: "Using someone's wireless network doesn't take anything - they still have everything they had previously. Nor does it prevent them from using their network in most cases they're not likely to notice." However, BT Openworld insists that an unprotected network is vulnerable to attack from malicious hackers. Because of this, the ISP has suggested some security measures which companies should consider. Click here to read BT's tips: http://www.silicon.com/a55742 BT Openworld warns that its guide is for information purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for specialist advice on a company's network security. Graeme Wearden writes for ZDNet.co.uk