--- Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 15:09:23 +0000 To: declanat_private From: Greg Walton <jamyangat_private> Subject: High-tech hobby falls under CSIS suspicion Network mapping defined as threat to sensitive data http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=25c5ce8f-6388-46ea-9741-65a7f3593c47 Newly obtained documents show the Canadian Security Intelligence Service took careful note last summer as computer hobbyists Jason Kaczor and Brad Haines invited participants to help find access points to wireless networks in Red Deer, Alta. The high-tech phenomenon, known as war driving or net stumbling, involves cruising around a neighbourhood in search of networks in a car equipped with a laptop, wireless networking gear and a global positioning unit. In a confidential intelligence report, CSIS painted the activity as a threat to the security of sensitive information. [ ... ] Mr. Haines sees war driving as beneficial to CSIS because it points out network vulnerabilities. "We're actually out to help them in their job, because we've already done a lot of the legwork for them," he said. "It's perfectly legitimate, it's fun. Nobody's being hurt by it, in fact they're gaining knowledge from it." He was particularly surprised at the attention from the spy agency in light of an encounter at a computer hackers convention in Las Vegas last summer. Mr. Haines met a woman he believes was a Canadian intelligence officer doing research on wireless security tools. "Her job was to test out hardware and software for their use." ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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