wireless access point

[Alma J Wetzker]

Gary wrote:
> Hi there Alma,
> 
> Wednesday, January 21, 2004, 3:22:00 PM, you wrote:
> 
> 
>>>Why would you run an AP/router without a WEP code?  Or do you just want
>>>to provide free (for them, not for you) Internet access to anyone
>>>driving by?
> 
> 
> A> Why not?  My bandwidth meets my needs.  When I am not using it why should I
> A> care if someone else does?  I pay a fixed rate for my use.  Anyone needing
> A> access beyond my need is welcome to that bandwidth.  I do log users and use
> A> patterns but not data.  I also secure my systems.
> 
> There was a story about this recently, in Canada I believe, where they
> finally caught up with a kiddy porn guy or group who was using wireless
> access of others.... guess who they came after first...
> 
I read about that.  It sounded like the defense was going to work.  If I see 
that kind of material go by I will start to restrict what the wireless users 
can get to.  So far, I just have a couple of neighbors, who I like, using the 
access.

I know it is a bad habit.  The *nix sysadmins all want to shut down access to 
anything not absolutely necessary to job function.  I like to leave everything 
not absolutely required to be secure, available to users.  I found that I got 
more productive users that way.  (Please note:  That does not mean critical 
files can be modified or anything stupid like that.)

     -- Alma