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<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite><font face="arial" size=2>Has
anyone used the IM program Trepia?
<a href="http://www.trepia.com">http://www.trepia.com</a></font><br>
<font face="arial" size=2>If so, is it any good? Is it worthwhile
using? Is it a security hazard?</font><br>
<font face="arial" size=2>Dan</font></blockquote><br>
Hi Dan & mlb-wireless,<br><br>
I posted this back in October on the sydneywireless list, so their
protocols might have changed since then...<br><br>
I downloaded and installed the program, did a bit of packet sniffing, and
if you're interested, this seems to be how it works:<br>
- Everything is done through their server, finding nearby contacts, as
well as sending messages to your "buddies".<br>
- The first step is to set up a user profile. You are forced to
enter an age, gender and a "blurb" about yourself.<br>
- When you log on, it sends to their server (in plaintext) your MAC
address, your base station's MAC address, your SSID (network name), along
with your nickname and scrambled password.<br>
- It requires an internet connection to work, and also must work
through their server. Apart from the password, data like the MAC
addresses, your username, etc., is transferred in plain text.<br>
- Magic happens at the other end, and it sends back a list of other
nearby users. It'd be interesting to see if it did anything more
than just finding people with the same SSID. My test case was
myself and one other person connected to the same access point.<br><br>
Steve.</html>