Why-Fi?
Ameya Dalvi, Oct 01, 2008 1858 hrs IST
While I endorse securing home and private networks, I am totally against the suggestion of abolishing internet hotspots.
After the unfortunate series of blasts in Delhi, Bangalore and a few other cities, a lot was made out of the terror mails that followed. On two occasions, the mail was sent using unsecured WiFi networks. Following these incidents, unsecured WiFi networks were made to look like a bundle of highly hazardous material left carelessly in the open, causing a potential threat to human lives and national security. My question is pretty simple - would it have changed anything for the better (with respect to the incidents) had all the networks been secured, and in wake of the gazillion IP masking techniques that prevail?
While I completely endorse the idea of securing home and private networks, I am totally against the suggestions of abolishing all internet hotspots or bringing a stay on "WiMAX"ing cities.
Yes, home users should ideally secure their wireless networks for reasons beyond terrorism. People give all kinds of excuses ranging from "I don't know how" to "I got nothing important on my PC" for not doing the same. But consider this scenario where you have subscribed to a "pay per MB" package and you haven't bothered securing your network. If you have smart neighbors, then this unintended social service may cost you dear. So five minutes worth of efforts may save you a lot of cost, and of course, headache.
This is one part of the story. On the other front, the thought of shutting down WiFi hotspots is quite frivolous. More than a solution, it would be more like adding to the problem. Yes, they can be misused but the same goes for public telephones, mobile phones and all other modes of communication and other technology products. Banning them all is not the solution. There is a need for better monitoring though.
Quite a few cities are on the verge of being "WiMAX"ed thus facilitating easy internet access to many homes and workplaces without the clutter of wires and middle men. Suddenly a big question mark seems to be looming over it. Internet is fast becoming the backbone of every single industry in our country. The future of education, economy and progress lies in easy access to internet in every corner of the nation. We shouldn't even be thinking of slowing down or pulling the plug on something as important as this for the fear of some antisocial elements occasionally misusing it.
What happened was unfortunate and regretful but any decision that is resultant of panic and void of proper vision can prove more disastrous in the long run. It would very much be like playing into the hands of the bad guys. After all, panic is what they want to spread.
USER COMMENTS
more than a month and still waiting for your next editorial.
by Rahul_Jawale, Mumbai, on Nov 06, 2008 02:25 PM, Report abuse Reply
Hey we all want a free lunch don't we? While I do agree that home users must secure their routers, I am not sure that I agree about the hotspots. Let me ask a question here. Has the clamp down on Cyber cafes to ensure compliance about the identity of users been useful or not? I think it has. In fact, that is what has driven terrorists to seek out home routers to hack. How could they be policed if they start using the hotspots? Would someone enlighten me if my understanding is wrong?
by Emil, Mumbai, on Oct 30, 2008 03:44 PM, Report abuse Reply
the whole wireless being used to send email issue is somewhat overblown - after all it's not as if they used the wireless connection to activate the bomb but they merely sent the emails using the connection. however since it was unsecured they were able to access it anonymously and send the email without being identified.
by sandeep, chennai, on Oct 29, 2008 12:15 PM, Report abuse Reply
hi. what ppl need to know is the importance of protecting their pc and their connectiona. there should be some help provided by these so called WIFI and WIMAX service providers in the way that they could give users hardware firewalled routers. if this cannot be done then it is up to tech sites like Techtree and others to take the role and get the word out. as a mod on the forums, i would be glad to help any1 comming forth and asking anything abt configuring or managing a firewall which has intrusion prevention and is a 2 way firewall.
by Vishal_Kadakia, mumbai, on Oct 08, 2008 06:41 PM, Report abuse Reply
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Harish Chopra | Delhi
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Why-Fi?
While I endorse securing home and private networks, I am totally against the suggestion of abolishing internet hotspots.
I want mobileoffice configuration
by Anand, Varanasi, on Nov 13, 2008 02:36 PM, Report abuse Reply