Aussie Police Starts Drive against Wardrivers and Piggybackers

07.29.09 |

Cyber security seems to be one of the important concerns of the Queensland Police. Detective Superintendent Brian Hay, speaking for the Police department, said that they are starting a campaign to improve the security of wireless networks, similar to the one conducted against poor vehicle security in the past. In that campaign, which addressed the dangers of unlocked cars, the Police conducted checks to see if cars parked near public areas such as railway stations were locked or not, and left a letter for people regarding possible consequences of unlocked doors if they found that a car was not locked.

The current campaign intends to make people aware of the dangers of unsecured wireless networks (click for info on mobile broadband cards). The Police will follow the modus operandi of wardrivers - people who scan localities to help others find and use unsecured networks. The Police intend to compile all the data and then inform the people whose networks are at risk regarding the steps that need to be taken as well as the problems that may arise if they do not secure their devices.

Mr. Hay was recently awarded the McAfee International Cybercrime Fighter Award, and he believes that this effort is very much needed. In his assessment, the Police will be able to carry it out without much expense, as they intend to amass data in small geographical locations and then inform the public regarding the steps and consequences through the media - which is not a resource-intensive strategy.