Unsecure Wifi to be illegal in suburb of New York

Politicians in Westchester County are urging adoption of the law--which appears to be the first such legislation in the U.S.--because without it, "somebody parked in the street or sitting in a neighboring building could hack into the network and steal your most confidential data," County Executive Andy Spano said in a statement.

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Full article here.

While it's nice to finally see someone taking Wifi Security seriously, somehow I find the politicians are taking things a bit too far. Especially considering the first draft will require a "firewall-outfitted server" (whatever that is supposed to mean) even if the Wifi Connection is using encryption.

IMO These politicians are absolutely clueless about Wifi security to be making such proposals even in a first draft.

Thoughts or other opinions?

It's ridiculous. Why should they get to regulate the security people place on their homes? That's like saying you must buy an ADT system.

I say they are going to destroy many Security Consultants jobs by doing this.

kleptophobiac said:

It's ridiculous. Why should they get to regulate the security people place on their homes? That's like saying you must buy an ADT system.

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problem is thge signal doesn't just saty "in your home".

Raystream said:

I say they are going to destroy many Security Consultants jobs by doing this.

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Or create alot more because of increased demand.

Raystream said:

I say they are going to destroy many Security Consultants jobs by doing this.

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hahahaha, yah right.

Stang Man said:

hahahaha, yah right.

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I was being sarcastic there... But on a serious note... way to much government power in the private sector. It's almost as bad as Verizon Communications in NJ trying to make all cable customers in NJ pay more fees just so they can offer a cable service. More info -> keepitlocalnj.com

Raystream

This is stupid.

I suppose next they'll make it illegal to not run antivirus software!

Is it illegal to leave your home unlocked?

oakfan52 said:

problem is thge signal doesn't just saty "in your home".

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So what does it matter? If you want to run an unsecured wireless network and let whoever happens to be in the area log in, why shouldn't you be able to? If you are willing to put your data/network security at risk, who is to stop you?

maybe you'll be potentially breaking your internet TOS by potentially sharing internet with people. HAHA

If they're really concerned about your confidential data, they'll make you shred everything and put a padlock on your trashcan. But that's retarded.

I think they're trying to protect their ISP's, or find a cheap way to "earn political capital"

This proposal is patently absured. We already have laws on the books for protecting personal information in the corporate landscape. Haven't they heard of HIPAA? And that's not the only regulation of its kind for protecting sensitive personal information. The finance industry has all sorts of regulations they have to abide by.

My suggestion for those that feel they MUST legislate to protect private/personal information: make it illegal to traffic sensitive *personal* information and put companies like ChoicePoint out of business for good.

And as someone on ./ mentioned, what happens when if I enable WPA and set my passcode to "passcode". Yeah, its secured per the law, but reality says otherwise.

Quite frankly, this is a political ploy and whoever thought of it should be annihalted for it with *bad* press. Maybe the backfire affect will stave off other politicians from being stupid about technology. (sarcasm)

This is approaching the problem the wrong way. I think the manufactures should just make it easier for the average person to encrypt their wireless... Has anyone bought a Linksys WRT54G recently? They put a sticker on the 4 lan ports that say "STOP! READ INSTRUCTIONS FIRST"... Why not put the antennas in a bag that says "STOP! Read the guide on enabling encrytion". You have to admit, setting up good wireless security isn't the easiest of tasks, and most products are advertised to be plug and play, no setup. Just plug it in and your good to go. (How many times do you go somewhere and you have 5 wireless connections avalible with the ssid "linksys" )

Assuming their going to encforce this law by driving around scanning for unsecured networks.... instead of fining them for breaking this law, drop a booklet on how to enable wireless security on their door step.

I also think they are going a little to far with that law. Or maybe they will notice that there are ways to stop people from getting in and it won't pass.

I think the primary response by home users will be to get wired networks, bypassing the law completely. Besides, how do they plan on enforcing this law? Wardrive every suburb in the county and see if they can get in? That's a clear violation of privacy and search laws.