I found this to be pretty interesting. Here is an article where someone is discussing how piggybacking is pretty much harmless (’piggybacking’ meaning to connect to other people’s unsecured wireless connections). While this person does bring up some decent points such as hotspot owners not even noticing the bandwidth consumption from casual internet surfers, granted strangers access to your hotspot also gives them access to your network. Keeping the Internet completely out of the picture, there could be some serious repercussions if some malicious user connects to a completely unsecured hotspot and network. The question is this: is arresting people for connecting to unsecure hotspots over the top? What do you think?

The Times of London recently reported that a London man had been arrested “on suspicion of illegally logging on to a wireless (Wi-Fi) broadband connection.”

Two officers saw the 39-year-old man sitting on a garden wall outside a home in Chiswick, West London. When questioned he admitted using the homeowner’s unsecured broadband connection from his position on the wall. He was arrested and the case was passed to the Metropolitan Police Computer Crime Unit. He was bailed to return in October and faces a fine or a jail term of six months, or both. Detective Constable Mark Roberts gave warning that anyone caught illegally “hitching” or “piggy-backing” on to another’s wireless broadband connection could face arrest.[more]

Tags: Wireless Security