Secure your home network

• Osayidan wrote on 2011-09-13 03:30
  This is why it's important.
  
  

  
  This Cheap Air Drone Can Break Into Your Computer and Own It
  This must be the holy grail of hacking: a cheap, do-it-yourself flying drone that can break into Wi-Fi networks and turn computers into zombies that can be controlled remotely. The coolest part for evildoers: it makes the hacking untraceable.
  The SkyNET drone is a modified $300 Parrot quadcopter with a Linux computer, 3G card, a GPS unit and two Wi-Fi cards. This is how it works:
  
  Controlled by a botmaster using 3G, the drone or group of drones fly over any urban area looking for Wi-FI networks. As they find them, they automatically try to break in. Once they get inside the network, it searches for personal computers that can be compromised. Any computer that falls to the attack gets turned into a zombie without the user ever knowing it.
  
  After the infection process, the hackers can easily control the zombies remotely through the Wi-Fi drone-to-host connection. The zombies can be used to perform any attack through their internet connections, receiving commands from SkyNET but with no traceable internet ties to the hacker botmaster:
  
  Subsequent drone flights are used to issue command and control without ever linking the botmaster to the botnet via the Internet. Reverse engineering the botnet, or enumerating the bots, does not reveal the identity of the botmaster.
  
  It's a perfect idea. Total cost: a mere $600. Anyone can easily build a complete fleet of these.
  
  Also, words words words Sarah Connor words words Terminators hah hah words. [SkyNET Paper (PDF) via Cnet]
  

  
  
  
  http://gizmodo.com/5839332/this-cheap-air-drone-can-break-into-your-computer-and-own-it
• ihateyou2 wrote on 2011-09-13 03:39
  what.
  i am scared now :[
• Kueh wrote on 2011-09-13 03:42
  But to what end? I hardly think griefing non-tech savvy home network users is a good use of $600.
  
  What do they do with the zombies once they have them?
  
  I bet they just pull security info and then access their bank accounts.
• Tarvos wrote on 2011-09-13 03:48
  That's so cool-
  
  I mean scary. I'm sure this concept could be expanded upon for military use too. We're giving the machines all the glorious technology they need to take over before they even gain self awareness...
  
  On a more serious note, seeing as it's so cheap, I'm sure any hacking enthusiast can have one. A lot of personal networks around my area aren't encrypted, so, I'm sure it's like that in most places too. Someone should raise awareness about home network security. Not saying this is some *huge* threat that it should be done. I'm more saying education is always a good thing, haha.
• Osayidan wrote on 2011-09-13 04:17
  Yup. It's not like if everyone will have one of these. It's just taking the threats that already exist (neighbors, guys parked outside with a laptop...) and making it even worse.
  
  Think of it as motivation to make your network more secure.
• Ninjam wrote on 2011-09-13 04:49
  One of the first things i learned in my networking class last year was how to secure my network.
  
  Thanks to that class, i no longer have to broadcast my ssid, i have changed the default ip for the router, and put a nice password and encryption on it.
  
  Unless they know my ssid its like im not even there.
  
  On the down side, if everyone begins locking there networks ill get lost more easily. When i get lost now i use google maps while borrowing wifi from a street im walking down. Without that ill starve to death in the middle of the street walking home from class!
• Airkisha wrote on 2011-09-13 05:54

  Quote from Ninjam;585789:

  One of the first things i learned in my networking class last year was how to secure my network.
  
  Thanks to that class, i no longer have to broadcast my ssid, i have changed the default ip for the router, and put a nice password and encryption on it.
  
  Unless they know my ssid its like im not even there.
  
  On the down side, if everyone begins locking there networks ill get lost more easily. When i get lost now i use google maps while borrowing wifi from a street im walking down. Without that ill starve to death in the middle of the street walking home from class!

  
  
  Move to Apopka. Most of our street lamps give off free wifi from the city. :P
• Akemii wrote on 2011-09-13 06:47
  If I lock my internet, I can't connect my DS to it. QQ
  
  REgardless, my computer will be connected wirelessly, how does that work?
• Phunkie wrote on 2011-09-13 06:49
  My wireless network is protected, so I should be good!
• Kingofrunes wrote on 2011-09-14 10:57
  I don't have wireless. 100% wired connection. So I should be safe :smoke:
• Zid wrote on 2011-09-14 12:34
  Encrypted.
  
  Well, I could always hook up a camera outside that specifically makes it easy to spot flying drones and then shoot it out of the sky.
• Cynic wrote on 2011-09-14 12:45
  I presume the worry is over wireless networks only, or..?