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got a letter from NBC

there is a lot of really crummy or inaccurate info in this thread.

If you want to win this (and it isn't hard unless they decide to make an example of you) follow Jeff and Talyn's advice. They are correct here.

XJensen's got a good point too. Always use WPA or better encryption with a strong passphrase. I usually use WPA2-PSK but that's personal preference.

WPA and better can be broken but generally people don't bother, there are enough unencrypted and WEP encrypted networks out there to wardrive on that 99% of people using someone else's wifi will just not bother. The only ones who will bother to crack a WPA access point are either doing it for the challenge or are actually out to get you, whether by swiping info off your LAN, by snooping your web traffic, or by framing you in some sort of digital crime (like this one.) No one wastes hours cracking WPA just to use your connection to hide behind.

Some tips on making your WPA harder to crack -
* use a non-default SSID (most are set to something like "netgear", "default", "linksys", etc) - the SSID is used to somewhat randomize the way the encryption keys are generated, so using one you came up with yourself is a great way to make bruteforcing the keys much much harder. Use your imagination. I've seen "A Series of Tubes", home addresses, "FBI Monitoring Van #<randomnumber>", "3 dudes and a crazy girl", and a few others that I don't really remember.
* use a secure passphrase/key. Don't use "sex", "god", "penis", your name, common words, etc... anything memorable, long (harhar), and reasonably complex is fine. For the longest time I had mine set to "43 bowls of soup and a bicycle" because one of my roommates came up with it while drunk and it was pretty easy to remember.
* enable MAC address access control - more of a pain, you will have to log into the router's web control panel to add each new device to the access list, but it adds one more (fairly weak I'll admit) level of protection.
* disable SSID broadcast so people will have to either sniff your traffic or know the SSID in advance to even try to connect.

All that should take less than an hour even if you are terrible with computers, if you are decent with them it should take around 20 minutes if you have a few devices to update with the new SSID and passkey.
 
and don't forget to turn off wifi protected setup.

it's been compromised recently to less than 100K possibilities in a brute force attack on the pin code.

It's a really easy attack and WPS is turned on by default in most everything. I've never actually used it though.
 
If you want to be secure change your key every day.
Depending on how much bandwidth you use your network can be compromised in less than 3 days with a fairly simple process anyone with the right software can do.
 
As a general rule, you don't need to be NSA-grade secure, you just have to be more secure than your neighbors. If someone really wants to get onto YOUR network, it's probably possible.
 
ChiXJeff said:
As a general rule, you don't need to be NSA-grade secure, you just have to be more secure than your neighbors. If someone really wants to get onto YOUR network, it's probably possible.
Click to expand...

:thumbup:

That doesn't mean crack your neighbors to open their network though :p
 
Or instead of using some horrible password combination that you are more likely to forget than it be compromised... You could use MAC address filtering. And yeah, pretty much no matter what you do, there will be some one smarter and/or more dedicated that COULD compromise your network if they so desired.
On the topic of piracy, I could go on and on, but to keep this thread on it's track; My advice is to not even bother with a reply to your ISP or anyone else who contacts you about this matter. As many others have said, if a company really wants to have any traction in court, they will have to obtain a warrant to search your computer. IF that is the case, well then there is not much you can do to stop it either.
Final summation: Change your Wifi password and have a beer.
 
CherBear said:
Or instead of using some horrible password combination that you are more likely to forget than it be compromised... You could use MAC address filtering. And yeah, pretty much no matter what you do, there will be some one smarter and/or more dedicated that COULD compromise your network if they so desired.
On the topic of piracy, I could go on and on, but to keep this thread on it's track; My advice is to not even bother with a reply to your ISP or anyone else who contacts you about this matter. As many others have said, if a company really wants to have any traction in court, they will have to obtain a warrant to search your computer. IF that is the case, well then there is not much you can do to stop it either.
Final summation: Change your Wifi password and have a beer.
Click to expand...

It's easier to spoof a mac address than it is to crack a protected wifi password.
 
Talyn said:
Its BS because they have to prove you have the file. In order to do so they would need to inspect your computer. Which would take a court order. Judges just don't hand those out like cookies.
Click to expand...

Actually, all they have to do is obtain your ISP's records and show that the file was uploaded from your specific IP address. You are legally responsible for all traffic on any internet connection you pay for. This also means that simply stating "I have an open wifi connection" won't save you from a darn thing.

Botton line is this... if copyrighted material gets uploaded to anyone from your IP address, you can be charged with copyright infringement. That being said, the guy who gets caught a couple times is more likely to win the lottery than be charged.

Jared:patriot:
 
CherBear said:
Or instead of using some horrible password combination that you are more likely to forget than it be compromised... You could use MAC address filtering. And yeah, pretty much no matter what you do, there will be some one smarter and/or more dedicated that COULD compromise your network if they so desired.
On the topic of piracy, I could go on and on, but to keep this thread on it's track; My advice is to not even bother with a reply to your ISP or anyone else who contacts you about this matter. As many others have said, if a company really wants to have any traction in court, they will have to obtain a warrant to search your computer. IF that is the case, well then there is not much you can do to stop it either.
Final summation: Change your Wifi password and have a beer.
Click to expand...
uh, no. :rolleyes:

1 - I suggested MAC address filtering as well. Really it's just another annoyance if someone feels like getting into your network, not challenging at all to break.
2 - we only care about wireless security in this case, it's not like someone is going to break into your house to use your internet connection. So write the damn password down on a sticky note. We had it on the fridge in my apartment. And it doesn't need to be a horribly complex password, just one that will not be easy for a machine to guess - think something like "I love quiche; I ate 5 slices today!" (not true, but you get the point. Long password, easy to remember, has punctuation and upper/lowercase/numbers.)
3 - terrible legal advice
 
DeadEyeJ said:
Actually, all they have to do is obtain your ISP's records and show that the file was uploaded from your specific IP address. You are legally responsible for all traffic on any internet connection you pay for. This also means that simply stating "I have an open wifi connection" won't save you from a darn thing.

Botton line is this... if copyrighted material gets uploaded to anyone from your IP address, you can be charged with copyright infringement. That being said, the guy who gets caught a couple times is more likely to win the lottery than be charged.

Jared:patriot:
Click to expand...

:bs:

So "innocent until proven guilty" flies out the window, according to you? The state must prove that you intentionally downloaded the illegal file. Not assume you did and let you try to prove your innocence.
 
Stuff like this kills me, the OP is now guilty and has to prove his own innocence. What happened to innocent until proven guilty. In this age just having an IP address showing a violation doesn't mean it was the owner using it at the time but they sure like to act that way.

If I didn't sign for the letter I would consider it as never being received first of all. If it is the supposed ISP sending you this letter it is now second hand information with no way to confirm it. I would never call a number asking me to admit to a crime or even call a phone number that was got unsolicited in a letter from questionable origins.

File the letter away, check your computers and look more into security not to keep from downloading files but for your own personal safety. You either have a security breach or someone is targeting you for a scam.
 
iwannadie said:
Stuff like this kills me, the OP is now guilty and has to prove his own innocence. What happened to innocent until proven guilty. In this age just having an IP address showing a violation doesn't mean it was the owner using it at the time but they sure like to act that way.
Click to expand...

The op isnt guilty, nor has been brought up on charges. The letter was bullshit, and should be filed in T for trash.

I understand your frustration, but this is just another example of big buisness trying to make MORE money off the backs of the average joe. I emphasize more, because they make plenty off producing movies.

Makes me want to download it, if theyre gonna try to make you pay for it, someone better get it for free...
 
DeadEyeJ said:
Actually, all they have to do is obtain your ISP's records and show that the file was uploaded from your specific IP address. You are legally responsible for all traffic on any internet connection you pay for. This also means that simply stating "I have an open wifi connection" won't save you from a darn thing.

Botton line is this... if copyrighted material gets uploaded to anyone from your IP address, you can be charged with copyright infringement. That being said, the guy who gets caught a couple times is more likely to win the lottery than be charged.

Jared:patriot:
Click to expand...

Well, yes and no. You can read this link if you want to see why some people would say you are not. http://torrentfreak.com/are-you-guilty-if-pirates-use-your-internet-lawyer-says-no-110806/

What if some one steals your car and during their escape they run a redlight. The red light camera catches it and sends you a bill. Are you liable for that? :dunno:
 
H8PVMT said:
I took a look at that link and my problem is that I dont have am open WiFi
Click to expand...

Your problem isn't that you have an open wifi, its that you tell people you don't.
How is anyone going to prove that on that particular day, your wifi was not open? And that you only recently decided to change to a password protected network? :wierd:
 
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