Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

A Map of Wireless Passwords from Airports and Lounges

foxnomad.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

111–120 of 124 posts

Re: A Map of Wireless Passwords from Airports and Lounges

#111

Post by ryanlol »

1024core wrote: post #95
realusername wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also hate people who put an open wifi requiring an SMS token in an Airport... You know, the only place where you have a good chance of your SIM Card not working for being abroad...

Exactly! I'm looking at you, Delhi Airport! The f'n morons advertise "free wifi! free wifi!!" everywhere, but when you actually want to use it, they demand a phone number to send an SMS message. Are the people in charge there really that clueless??

The admin login for the panel where you can turn off SMS auth for delhi airport wifi is “admin:admin” or something very similar IIRC.

Re: A Map of Wireless Passwords from Airports and Lounges

#112

Post by Myrmornis »

peteretep wrote: post #9

Almost every item I see on here is using private WiFi connections intended for paying or premium customers, and precisely zero ones that are intended to be free. This would seem to constitute "piggybacking", which is of questionable legality in many places: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_piggybacking Given the dubious legality, seems odd to see this on HN.

Content on HN has to be interesting. There’s no problem with it referencing illegal activity.

Re: A Map of Wireless Passwords from Airports and Lounges

#113

Post by michaelper22 »

blowski wrote: post #35
Rjevski wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you wanted your Wi-Fi to be for customers only then you'd use WPA2 Enterprise with unique per-user passwords, or at least change the static password every day.

You might want your WiFi to be for customers only, but not have any idea how or enough money to enforce it.

Requires a geek for a few hours and Ubiquiti network gear: https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1unif... (from https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/07/enter...) Even integrates with Facebook WiFi to abstract away the auth systems (and further degrade privacy!)

Re: A Map of Wireless Passwords from Airports and Lounges

#114

Post by dustinmoris »

To everyone who says that this is dodgy or immoral:

It is not. The majority of the world doesn't function anymore without WiFi, which makes it more of a human necessity than a convenience to pay for. Not offering free WiFi is like not offering passengers free toilets at an airport. Unless you want everyone to piss in a corner you must offer a toilet, especially when you also require passengers to arrive at least two hours prior departure.

In India I wasn't allowed to enter airports without showing them my boarding ticket at the entrance. However I didn't have a boarding ticket because I needed to go to the counter inside, which I wasn't allowed (standard in India). So they demand from tourists to log in their email and show the booking confirmation but don't give you free WiFi. Fuck this shit!

Going to the taxi stand and they ask me for my reservation number. Same story again, no WiFi no luck.

In some countries there is no taxis or taxis are widely considered extremely dangerous (Johannesburg, etc.) and you MUST use Uber. How are you going to do it without WiFi?

Long story short, don't fucking build your entire infrastructure reliant on the internet and then don't give your customers an opportunity to connect to the internet.

WiFi is a necessity, it should be free of charge everywhere.

Re: A Map of Wireless Passwords from Airports and Lounges

#115

Post by selectodude »

1024core wrote: post #95
realusername wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also hate people who put an open wifi requiring an SMS token in an Airport... You know, the only place where you have a good chance of your SIM Card not working for being abroad...

Exactly! I'm looking at you, Delhi Airport! The f'n morons advertise "free wifi! free wifi!!" everywhere, but when you actually want to use it, they demand a phone number to send an SMS message. Are the people in charge there really that clueless??

That’s just the law in a lot of countries. I’d have to eat the 50 cents a lot and just receive an international SMS.

Re: A Map of Wireless Passwords from Airports and Lounges

#116

Post by cwkoss »

7952 wrote: post #63
sjwright wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A password that has already been handed out to thousands or tens of thousands of customers isn't "security".

In the physical world social convention is used all the time instead of real security. If my boss needs some peace and quiet he closes his door. It is not locked, but people know not to enter. If it is open I can walk in and have a chat. A WIFI password is a social convention asking you to not share. Everyone knows that it is not secure. But it is much easier than having a captive portal login system. By respecting t…

> Everyone knows that it is not secure.

This is the crucial part you're wrong about. Most people assume Wi-Fi with password is secure, only us nerds know better.

Re: A Map of Wireless Passwords from Airports and Lounges

#117

Post by londons_explore »

selectodude wrote: post #115
1024core wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly! I'm looking at you, Delhi Airport! The f'n morons advertise "free wifi! free wifi!!" everywhere, but when you actually want to use it, they demand a phone number to send an SMS message. Are the people in charge there really that clueless??

That’s just the law in a lot of countries. I’d have to eat the 50 cents a lot and just receive an international SMS.

Some won't even allow an international phone number. They demand a local phone number...

Have fun with that...

Re: A Map of Wireless Passwords from Airports and Lounges

#118

Post by sjwright »

imgabe wrote: post #77
sjwright wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A password that has already been handed out to thousands or tens of thousands of customers isn't "security".

That doesn't make it right to hand it out. If a hotel room uses old fashioned keys, can one customer make a copy of the key and start handing it out on the street to anyone who wants to go into the room? Just because many other people have paid to use it before? People pay for access to the lounge, at least in part, for the better, less congested, more reliable wifi.

I agree; I don't think it's right either.

To take your hotel analogy, I agree it's not right for customers to make copies of room keys. But if it were as easy to copy a hotel room key as it is to copy a wifi password, the hotel would not be in a position to describe those keys as adequate security.

Though the analogy is poor because a hotel room is intended to be a private and secure area where I can store valuable item, whereas wifi access is more like the soda dispenser at an American restaurant—other customers are equally inconvenienced whether you paid or not.

Re: A Map of Wireless Passwords from Airports and Lounges

#119

Post by pandler »

blntechie wrote: post #106
1024core wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly! I'm looking at you, Delhi Airport! The f'n morons advertise "free wifi! free wifi!!" everywhere, but when you actually want to use it, they demand a phone number to send an SMS message. Are the people in charge there really that clueless??

Knowing India, it's probably Government mandated for what they call 'security reasons'. It's hard to get free WiFi or internet without providing a phone number in India.

Yeah sounds pretty typical of India in my experience. Can’t get WiFi unless you have a sim

Re: A Map of Wireless Passwords from Airports and Lounges

#120

Post by peteretep »

danilocesar wrote: post #70
peteretep wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The WiFi isn't offered by the airports, it's offered by private lounges and restaurants, who offer it as a perk to their paying customers.

Well, in europe most airports have free wifi with no restrictions. They are usually offered by the Airport administration company. In my home country, almost all airports administration companies offers time-restricted-but-free-wifi too.

I am glad to hear that! However, the quick scan I did here of Thai and British airports showed almost every wifi point on _this list_ is a private one.
Post reply on HN