[MLB-WIRELESS] FW: Wireless Networking Frailty

[evilbunny]

Hello Tony,

Anyone stupid enough to walk round with a 400W transmitter will
potentially do a lot more damage to themselves then any WLAN gear...

technically with enough juice you could almost fry any receiver this
includes any current data links, such as the big microwave dishes you
see about the place... and satellite dishes for that matter as well...

This reminds me of articles on bomb instructs people used to hype
about being downloaded off the net... how many have been used for
destructive purposes in reality?

I take this stuff with a grain of salt...

After all, and script kiddy doing this is likely to try modify a
microwave oven, and well I know who's going to most likely get it, and
it won't be the WLAN device...

-- 
Best regards,
 evilbunny                            mailto:evilbunny at sydneywireless.com

http://www.SydneyWireless.com - Exercise your communications
freedom to make it do what you never thought possible... 

Tuesday, September 24, 2002, 9:20:36 AM, you wrote:

TL> Hmm, someone has evil DoS ideas.  I don't know how much risk there is in
TL> practice, but a few things are on the sire of the WLANs.

TL> 1.  Power at 2.4 GHz is expensive.  That said, it is possible to hack a
TL> microwave oven (and probably fry yourself in the process ;) ).

TL> 2.  Indoor installations have some degree of shielding (tinted windows can
TL> be an effective barrier to RF - signal may leak out, but it could be enough
TL> to take the sting out of an attack).

TL> 3.  Outdoor installations often use directional antennas up high, so the
TL> attacker may have to get into the beam (but if they do manage that, bye bye
TL> WLAN).

TL> As I said, dunno the exact level of threat (and I'm not about to sacrifice a
TL> microwave oven and a bunch of WLAN cards to find out!).

TL> -----Original Message-----
TL> From: gregh [mailto:chows at ozemail.com.au]
TL> Sent: Monday, 23 September 2002 6:23 PM
TL> To: BugTraq - The List
TL> Subject: Wireless Networking Frailty


TL> Hi all,

TL> For the interest of those wishing to safeguard against nuisance causing
TL> attacks.

TL> With the correct apparatus - a directional aerial and any RFI causing device
TL> (such as a radio transceiver) on the correct radio wavelength of the hub to
TL> be attacked can, with enough wattage, cause a fairly quick burnout of the
TL> wireless hub and indeed any wireless transceiver close to it (such as other
TL> computers with wireless equipment attached on the same wavelength or
TL> wavelength close to it). The transceiver used to attack the hub need not be
TL> attached to a computer and doesn't have to be all that powerful but if you
TL> want to make sure of the death of the target, 400 watts directed at it from
TL> the transceiver will do the job.

TL> Now, I don't really know which companies or Govt agencies in, for instance,
TL> NY City would have wireless networking but if the NY Stock Exchange has it
TL> (which I am sure it does), using that sort of set-up should easily bring it
TL> down and it can be done from a fairly close radius. Imagine the NY Stock
TL> Exchange having it's networking go down instantly. Chaos. You could use this
TL> same idea to attack companies and Govt Depts.

TL> So, it would be in the interest of the parties using such wireless
TL> networking gear to find a way to shield the wireless network within the
TL> building in which it is employed.

TL> Regards, Greg.

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