Technology

‘We Know Who You Are!’: Some Damn Good Reasons to Lock Your Home Wi-Fi Network

We Know Who You Are!: Some Damn Good Reasons to Lock Your Home Wi Fi Network
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Lying on his family room floor with assault weapons trained on him, shouts of “pedophile!“ and ”pornographer!” stinging like his fresh cuts and bruises, the Buffalo homeowner didn’t need long to figure out the reason for the early morning wake-up call from a swarm of federal agents.

That new wireless router. He’d gotten fed up trying to set a password. Someone must have used his Internet connection, he thought.

“We know who you are! You downloaded thousands of images at 11:30 last night,” the man’s lawyer, Barry Covert, recounted the agents saying. They referred to a screen name, “Doldrum.”

“No, I didn’t,” he insisted. “Somebody else could have but I didn’t do anything like that.”

“You’re a creep … just admit it,” they said.

Law enforcement officials say the case is a cautionary tale. Their advice: Password-protect your wireless router.

Plenty of others would agree. The Sarasota, Fla. man, for example, who got a similar visit from the FBI last year after someone on a boat docked in a marina outside his building used a potato chip can as an antenna to boost his wireless signal and download an astounding 10 million images of child porn, or the North Syracuse, N.Y., man who in December 2009 opened his door to police who’d been following an electronic trail of illegal videos and images. The man’s neighbor pleaded guilty April 12.

For two hours that March morning in Buffalo, agents tapped away at the homeowner’s desktop computer, eventually taking it with them, along with his and his wife’s iPads and iPhones.

Within three days, investigators determined the homeowner had been telling the truth: If someone was downloading child pornography through his wireless signal, it wasn’t him. About a week later, agents arrested a 25-year-old neighbor and charged him with distribution of child pornography. The case is pending in federal court.

It’s unknown how often unsecured routers have brought legal trouble for subscribers. Besides the criminal investigations, the Internet is full of anecdotal accounts of people who’ve had to fight accusations of illegally downloading music or movies.

Whether you’re guilty or not, “you look like the suspect,” said Orin Kerr, a professor at George Washington University Law School, who said that’s just one of many reasons to secure home routers.

Experts say the more savvy hackers can go beyond just connecting to the Internet on the host’s dime and monitor Internet activity and steal passwords or other sensitive information.

A study released in February provides a sense of how often computer users rely on the generosity — or technological shortcomings — of their neighbors to gain Internet access.

The poll conducted for the Wi-Fi Alliance, the industry group that promotes wireless technology standards, found that among 1,054 Americans age 18 and older, 32 percent acknowledged trying to access a Wi-Fi network that wasn’t theirs. An estimated 201 million households worldwide use Wi-Fi networks, according to the alliance.

The same study, conducted by Wakefield Research, found that 40 percent said they would be more likely to trust someone with their house key than with their Wi-Fi network password.

For some, though, leaving their wireless router open to outside use is a philosophical decision, a way of returning the favor for the times they‘ve hopped on to someone else’s network to check e-mail or download directions while away from home .

“I think it’s convenient and polite to have an open Wi-Fi network,” said Rebecca Jeschke, whose home signal is accessible to anyone within range.

“Public Wi-Fi is for the common good and I’m happy to participate in that — and lots of people are,” said Jeschke, a spokeswoman for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that takes on cyberspace civil liberties issues.

Experts say wireless routers come with encryption software, but setting it up means a trip to the manual.

The government’s Computer Emergency Readiness Team recommends home users make their networks invisible to others by disabling the identifier broadcasting function that allows wireless access points to announce their presence. It also advises users to replace any default network names or passwords, since those are widely known, and to keep an eye on the manufacturer’s website for security patches or updates.

People who keep an open wireless router won’t necessarily know when someone else is piggybacking on the signal, which usually reaches 300-400 feet, though a slower connection may be a clue.

For the Buffalo homeowner, who didn’t want to be identified, the tip-off wasn’t nearly as subtle.

It was 6:20 a.m. March 7 when he and his wife were awakened by the sound of someone breaking down their rear door. He threw a robe on and walked to the top of the stairs, looking down to see seven armed people with jackets bearing the initials I-C-E, which he didn’t immediately know stood for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“They are screaming at him, ‘Get down! Get down on the ground!‘ He’s saying, ‘Who are you? Who are you?’” Covert said.

“One of the agents runs up and basically throws him down the stairs, and he’s got the cuts and bruises to show for it,” said Covert, who said the homeowner plans no lawsuit. When he was allowed to get up, agents escorted him and watched as he used the bathroom and dressed.

The homeowner later got an apology from U.S. Attorney William Hochul and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agent in Charge Lev Kubiak.

But this wasn’t a case of officers rushing into the wrong house. Court filings show exactly what led them there and why.

On Feb. 11, an investigator with the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees cybersecurity enforcement, signed in to a peer-to-peer file sharing program from his office. After connecting with someone by the name of “Doldrum,” the agent browsed through his shared files for videos and images and found images and videos depicting children engaged in sexual acts.

The agent identified the IP address, or unique identification number, of the router, then got the service provider to identify the subscriber.

Investigators could have taken an extra step before going inside the house and used a laptop or other device outside the home to see whether there was an unsecured signal. That alone wouldn’t have exonerated the homeowner, but it would have raised the possibility that someone else was responsible for the downloads.

After a search of his devices proved the homeowner’s innocence, investigators went back to the peer-to-peer software and looked at logs that showed what other IP addresses Doldrum had connected from. Two were associated with the State University of New York at Buffalo and accessed using a secure token that UB said was assigned to a student living in an apartment adjacent to the homeowner. Agents arrested John Luchetti March 17. He has pleaded not guilty to distribution of child pornography.

Luchetti is not charged with using his neighbor’s Wi-Fi without permission. Whether it was illegal is up for debate.

“The question,” said Kerr, “is whether it’s unauthorized access and so you have to say, ‘Is an open wireless point implicitly authorizing users or not?’

“We don’t know,” Kerr said. “The law prohibits unauthorized access and it‘s just not clear what’s authorized with an open unsecured wireless.”

In Germany, the country’s top criminal court ruled last year that Internet users must secure their wireless connections to prevent others from illegally downloading data. The court said Internet users could be fined up to $126 if a third party takes advantage of their unprotected line, though it stopped short of holding the users responsible for illegal content downloaded by the third party.

The ruling came after a musician sued an Internet user whose wireless connection was used to download a song, which was then offered on an online file sharing network. The user was on vacation when the song was downloaded.

Comments (133)

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  • Tyr
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 8:58am

    “One of the agents runs up and basically throws him down the stairs, and he’s got the cuts and bruises to show for it,” said Covert, who said the homeowner plans no lawsuit. When he was allowed to get up, agents escorted him and watched as he used the bathroom and dressed.”

    So, none of you Liberty, loving Patriots see a problem with this type of Gestopo behavior?

    Fourth Amendment states we are to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. If an officer uses excessive force in making an arrest or searches a home, vehicle or person without a valid search warrant that officer violates the suspect’s Fourth Amendment rights.

    Another important right is the Eighth Amendment to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. And I won’t even get into “innocent until proven guilty” since that little tidbit doesn’t matter to most of you Conservative zealots.
    Before being arrested you must be informed of the charges against you, you must be allowed to confront your accuser, and you do not have to give ANY information that may incriminate yourself (that “pesky” Fifth Amendment). So why is “lying” to a police officer a crime?…hummmm interesting! The same Amendment, by the way, also allows you to refuse to testify during your own trial or to remain mute. You cannot be forced to “plead” according to the Bill of Rights. You may also personally confront any witnesses who are testifying against you and collect your own witnesses and evidence (that is pretty hard to do in jail, huh?).

    Finally, you have the right to be tried by a jury of your peers The definition of “peers” is, according to Websters dictionary, “one that is of equal standing with another : Equal; especially : one belonging to the same societal group especially based on age, grade, or status.”

    You people that cling to the Constitution had better become aware of what it says and implies! Otherwise you all just appear STUPID!

    Report Post » Tyr  
    • inpennanow
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 9:22am

      Most of the comments here demonstrate they do have a problem with the agents’ Gestapo-like behavior. Most, if not all, readers here also understand our rights guaranteed by the Constitution and rely upon their protections. You’re preaching to the choir.

      Report Post »  
    • sodacrackers2
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 9:30am

      Tyr, I hate to break this to you, but you are a conservative!!

      Report Post »  
  • boomboom
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 8:50am

    Mr. Kerr — quoted in the article — “Is an unsecured router an open invitation?”
    Well….is an unlocked door an open invitation into my house?

    What a boob this man is. What an asinine question to ask.

    Report Post » boomboom  
  • Your Name Here
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 8:47am

    I not only turned off my SSID, I use the MAC address option so only MAC addresses in the list can access my WAP.
    A friend of mine was arrested because a school PC was stolen and they found his finger prints on the CAT-5 cable.
    What they didn’t bother checking was his employer. He had installed the network so his finger prints were all over the cables.
    The good part is that he sued and got his record cleared and a settlement.

    Report Post » Your Name Here  
  • Ronko
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 8:47am

    I’m not surprised that this happened. I find too many times that people don’t lock their wi-fi when I’m looking for internet hot points. Hence have it password protected as anybody can use your wi-fi if it isn’t password protected.

    Report Post »  
  • VincentMVNY
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 8:43am

    The Wi-Fi Alliance would do better to make encrytion easier to do. I spent weeks trying to get my WiFi encryted, the instructions are labyrinthian and make no sense whatsoever. I finally went to YoUtube and found a video that walked me through it. IT SHOULD NOT BE MADE THAT DIFFICULT!!!
    How about “type your password here”, “type it again here”, “write it down somewhere”.

    Report Post »  
  • Liberal_Atheist_Critical_Thinker
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 8:43am

    I wan sent here to infiltrate this place. I‘m taking notes for Obama’s Secret List ….

    Report Post » Liberal_Atheist_Critical_Thinker  
  • inpennanow
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 8:42am

    I see no mention of a warrant being obtained during a pre-arrest investigation, but I assume there had to be a warrant issued for the provider to release the homeowner’s name. The bottom of this article showed how easy it was to identify “doldrum” as a neighbor who was accessing the router; that should have been a routine part of the initial investigation. Sounds like all the investigating was done on the back end, once speaking with the homeowner convinced the agents he may not be the guilty one.

    The Bill of Rights is intended to protect citizens from government intrusion and this is why the fourth amendment, “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects” is so clearly needed. I understand this makes it more difficult for law enforcement to do its job, but that’s what “innocence until proven guilty” is all about. Judges who issue warrants need to be more tech savvy and ask agents these questions before harming the truly innocent.

    Report Post »  
  • leftcoastslut
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 8:41am

    they already have of list of those using this site and when that new law is passed, you will go away for life… wait for the knock

    Report Post »  
  • Liberal_Atheist_Critical_Thinker
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 8:33am

    It ain’t that hard people. Set up your equipment properly with encryption and you won’t have a problem. Aren’t most of you I-can-do-it-myself-I-don’t-need-gubment-nor-nobody types who want to be left alone? Then learn about things.

    Report Post » Liberal_Atheist_Critical_Thinker  
  • Nepenthe
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 8:33am

    While locking your Wi-Fi is extremely important, the far greater lesson from this story is that instead of doing basic investigation and research, police just rely on SWAT to break down your door, point life-ending semi-automatic weapons at your head, and then figure out if you actually committed a crime. The increased use of SWAT when there is no violence or there is little to no evidence that violence may occur should scare anyone who believes in the 4th Amendment.

    Report Post » Nepenthe  
    • GadsdenGurl
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 1:21pm

      This is wrong.. plus it is no one’s business what you download from the internet. What about people who have Hustler mailed to them via the postal service????

      Report Post » GadsdenGurl  
  • Outlaw_Josey_Wales
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 8:16am

    Time to get off the grid live in the Rocky Mountains like grizzly Adams

    Report Post » Outlaw_Josey_Wales  
  • Paleo Archer
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 7:53am

    spooky

    Report Post » Paleo Archer  
  • woodydad
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 7:44am

    This almost sounds like an updated version of the old story where the ATF or DEA storms the house next door to the one they intended to assault. Mom and pop are just sitting in their living room, watching a baseball game and having some apple pie when all of a sudden 30 Gestapo agents, with submachine guns, blow their front door off the hinges and through them to the ground.
    If they were a professional outfit they would have checked first to see if the router was unsecured and if anyone else was accessing it.
    I’m afraid that stuff like this is going to be used as part of the excuses for government regulation of the internet. Both worthless parties will sign on to it.

    Report Post » woodydad  
  • lmy6545
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 7:33am

    how do you know if your signal is protected? if invisable is it?

    Report Post »  
  • commonsenseguy
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 7:31am

    man, this sounds really familiar, over the last 3 months, i have had to replace 4 hard drives that had been hacked, i have every security known, but some how they manage to get in, was told by my internet provider that they gained access through the providers wireless router, they have seen i hope fixed their problem,but as we all know no one is really protected , i have spent a lot of money fixing these problems,and i know it will happen again in the future, but i hope that what happened to this family will never happen to mine, what a shame for them to have to endure this kind of embarrassment and have their lives destroyed by a neighbor and the police but most of all their internet provider. i hope they sue the heck out of all of them.

    Report Post »  
    • GrumpyCat
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 12:23pm

      “over the last 3 months, i have had to replace 4 hard drives that had been hacked”

      Can I have your hacked hard drives? You are getting hacked from more angles than you suspect, not the least of which is coming from the source that is telling you that a “hacked” hard drive warrants replacement.

      Report Post »  
  • Inlandmar2
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 7:27am

    I find it disturbing that neither ICE or the Judge that issued the search warrant used due diligence in securing the search warrant. They should be charged criminally for home invasion, burglary, making terrorists threats, false imprisonment, kidnapping and for being STUPID. What happens next? Criminals breaking into homes and then getting off scot-free because that can claim they were looking for illegal child porn?

    Report Post » Inlandmar2  
    • tankerBigRed1
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 9:42am

      They broke down the door- @ the right/ unfortunate home they might have been met w/ a face full of buckshot- have they tried knocking?

      Report Post » tankerBigRed1  
  • SuperSuineg
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 7:23am

    it’s not hard to lock your wifi. click wep choose pw un and save. and yes i have used open networks the dr office by the kids school was unlocked, netflix ya, i helped them to lock it after seeing the files open network is one thing, open dr files is another.

    Report Post » SuperSuineg  
    • seljo1701
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 7:35am

      If you’re using WEP, you might as well not bother… it is broken. I don’t encrypt, I have other means. I would recommend turning on the filter for those who leave it open, if your router has one. Many newer ones have content filters built in now to filter *most* stuff that would bring down the feds.

      Report Post »  
    • Meyvn
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 8:03am

      WEP Sux. You should be using WPA at least or WPA2, and don’t broadcast your SSID.

      Report Post » Meyvn  
    • SingerGuy
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 10:27am

      I go a step further (I’m one of those “computer geniuses”) and put a MAC address filter on my router. That way even a cracked password doesn’t let the intruder actually join my network. They can packet sniff what I do online but they can’t do their own thing. My hidden SSID is “peekaboo.” I figure anyone smart enough to find the hidden name will get the joke. ;-)

      Report Post » SingerGuy  
  • Voice-O-Reason
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 7:20am

    I do password protect my router, but it’s my choice to do so. There are those who wish to leave it open for friends and neighbors to use. That is their right until the government takes it away.

    Report Post »  
    • awizard
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 7:41am

      @Voice-O-Reason; I password protect mine also … I can give my neighbors (if I had any) “The Key” if I want to …

      Try a real world translation; If you leave your front door unlocked, and “Somebody” walks in and uses your phone to call in a bomb threat, murder threat, etc., walks out and “The Government traces it back to your house … What happens?.. [use your imagination]

      Report Post » awizard  
  • kickagrandma
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 7:07am

    Create chaos, panic, fear so that the sleeping people will scream for protection…. NOT from you nanny state, you jack wagons, hilter-gestapo wanna be’s.

    DEAR LORD, grant us courage to fight the enemy, YOUR enemy, old scratch himself, the weaselly, nasty, scraggly liar. Thank YOU for our guardian angels, husbands that indeed are computer whizzes, and for our (some of us) old age. We have (some of us have) learned much through this life’s journey.

    Note to BLAZERS: If you haven’t already, do protect your homes, children, one another, pets and property with prayer and anointing with oil. I learned this years ago from a wonderful man named Francis McNutt. Catholics may recognize his name. Others, as well. A great prayer warrior, he.

    Come to think of it, we might want to pray over our phones (all) and routers as well. If we pray over our tv’s. we’d pretty much shut them off, wouldn’t we?

    GOD BLESS AND PROTECT.

    Report Post »  
    • marjorie faye
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 10:01am

      The Lord listens to the prayers of those who have trusted him as savior. No need to anoint phones with oil.

      Report Post »  
  • BOMUSTGO
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 6:57am

    I wonder if Obama’s Goons are watching posts on the Blaze, like the GOONS of Soros?

    Report Post » BOMUSTGO  
    • awizard
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 7:30am

      @BOMUSTGO; Aren’t they the same Goons?..

      Of course you must password protect/encrypt a WiFi … Who’d be dumb enough not to?..
      You have a password for your Email account, Windows profile, for your Blaze account … How ’bout that key to your front door?.. And I hear some cars have passwords to open the doors now …
      If you have a need for someone else’s WiFi, go park outside a library or coffee shop and leach there …

      Report Post » awizard  
  • awall1231
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 6:53am

    I always set a password for mine so that Liberals cant use it while im at work.

    Report Post » awall1231  
    • jacketsfan72
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 8:32am

      Ha ha!! That’s funny! Just like the protestors in Wisconsin or those who stump about climate change. There aren‘t more conservatives out there to counter protest because they’re all at work. Some one has to keep the economy going while they live off the government teat.

      Report Post »  
  • ArmyWife127
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 6:52am

    Good thing my husband is a computer genius…

    Report Post » ArmyWife127  
    • Meyvn
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 7:49am

      It does not require genius to lock down a router.

      Report Post » Meyvn  
  • QC Ghost
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 6:44am

    Invent a money saving, time saving device, and some knucklehead will use it for devious purposes. Nobody trusts anybody any more, because you can’t. The result of a free society is bigger prisions. A fair trade, I suppose, but it’s all a sign of the moral and religious void being forced upon us by the left. http://www.qcghost.blogspot.com

    Report Post »  
    • Sparky101
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 8:09am

      I agree with your assessment of the origin of the problem. But since it is happening over decades of time, the youthful aren’t aware of the changes, just the here-and-now.

      Report Post »  
    • SimpleTruths
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 3:16pm

      A void cannot be ‘forced upon’ you, who is ‘forcing’ people to stop going to church for instance? Quit blaming every problem on the ‘left’, that’s just BS.

      Report Post » SimpleTruths  
  • Living In NYC
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 6:41am

    1984, George Orwell was about 25 years earlier. The trouble is the government is getting like a weather forecaster…if they get it right about 50% of the time they keep their jobs.

    Let’s see, sleeping air traffic controllers, oil well inspectors (false report of Gulf Oil rigs), TSA agents, the Department of Labor (unemployment stats), EPA (global warming), Department of Justice (voter intimadation) and Office of Management and Budget (understating ObamaCare)….do I need to go any further?

    Now creeping on wireless routers…get to work on the real issues!

    Report Post » Living In NYC  
  • Rick300
    Posted on April 25, 2011 at 6:40am

    Change the year on the calender to 1984…big brother has been watching for way too long. The funny thing is that we allow it!

    Report Post » Rick300  
    • NickDeringer
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 7:15am

      As someone who has had to do security audits on network infrastructure lets me say that it’s not just Big Brother you have to worry about. Hackers can do things you would think could only happen in the moves.

      Absolutely lock down your home and business Wi-Fi.

      Do not put personal info on public web sites. I am horrified how people put their entire lives on Face Book or Twitter. If they ask you for location data say “NO”.

      Do not go online unless you have a good anti-virus/anti-spyware program installed on you computer.

      Do not even open suspicious email. Learn to check your email at an Internet site BEFORE you download it to your machine.

      NEVER log into an account based on some email you just received no matter how legit it might look. NO NOT EVER.

      Report Post » NickDeringer  
    • Rodster
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 8:06am

      ^^^^^ Amen, i’m astounded at the suckers who put their real names and their location including other private information on Facebook. I’m anti Facebook as well as Twitter and have nothing to do with either. I also have my Wifi turned off and i’m hard wired to my router.

      Report Post »  
    • Keveeee
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 8:07am

      I guess the question I have is … why isn’t someone arresting the people POSTING the 10,000,000 pictures of child porn on the net? Rather than going after the person downloading them. I‘m sure they will say it’s from some site in a foreign country. But still. Sites can be blocked. Hit the source.
      I‘m sure that it’s just a matter of time before the pedophiles start crying about being “born that way”, just like homosexuals. So they have a right to be that way and they should be accepted. SICK!

      Keveeee  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 8:15am

      I keep hearing of more and more ‘mistakes’ by officers and law agencies like these happening to those who had done nothing wrong; indeed having your wi-fi system secured is critical. For in this land anymore it is best to assume you are charged guilty without a trial until somehow cleared of everything…I wish to know if the people got their property back at some point.

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • onegodinkansas
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 8:52am

      Amen, Snow. Imagine how your hair would look in a mugshot taken @ 3:30am in an Arpaio (sp?) contest when you were guilty of not locking your wifi! Wouldn’t that be a fun road to restoring your good name.

      Report Post »  
    • rocketjay
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 9:18am

      You can get started resetting the router’s security by typing 192.168.1.1…..which is the default IP address of the router. If one doesn’t have the manuel for the router….just do an online search (using the search provider of your choice…Bing or G**gle) using the model number. No genius required. Just remember to write down the user name and password (use a good long one with multiple character sets like$%dontbeADUMMY2011……….not your birthday).

      Report Post »  
    • politicaljules
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 9:37am

      This is weird. Just last night (before the article came out) we found two unauthorized users on our network. We were forced to figure out how to lock it down.

      Report Post »  
    • 408 CheyTac
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 10:02am

      While you are at it, stop with the geotagged image posting. Nothing like telling the whole world exactly where you are, and at what time you are there. The same people who have a fit about a traffic camera turn right around and post a pix of their kid getting dropped off for camp(et seq) ; giving the pervs everything from the time and exact location to the direction they are facing. All conveniently provided the instant you upload that tagged innocent little image for grandma to see.

      The first step to being secure is realizing how vulnerable you really are.

      Report Post »  
    • VRW Conspirator
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 10:03am

      @Kevee
      it is harder to find out the IP address of the sender than the downloader. when you connect to someone through a peer to peer network…the IP address of the downloader is open…you can find out the IP address of the uploader but it requires more work…

      someone was posting basic internet security….another way is an IP blocker…whether you are on a peer to peer network or the general internet…you can route all traffic through a web based proxy server and mask the IP or you can up a cloaking script to block the IP address…

      Report Post » VRW Conspirator  
    • tdufy
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 10:12am

      This ICE’s job? If only they enforced the immagration laws with this much gusto.

      Report Post » tdufy  
    • LIBERALSBEDAMNED
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 10:13am

      Child porn usage and distributing should be delt with by public hangings. We must rid this earth of the varmets!!

      Report Post » LIBERALSBEDAMNED  
    • Cerealface
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 10:38am

      Guilty until proven innocent.
      Very Lucky, these people downloading files didn’t know how to cover their tracks.

      Report Post » Cerealface  
    • jackrorabbit
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 10:42am

      Keveee, you are so right. Psychologists have “proven” that pedos are predisposed to it, and the corrections center cannot seem to “cure” the issue. The only answer has been to neuter them chemically. If I remember correctly the return to that lifestyle is over 60%(worse than Islamic extremists).

      Report Post »  
    • nkawtg
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 11:04am

      This is the exact scenario I warn people about when they choose not to secure their WIFI.
      Even after the warning, they blissfully go about their day as if nothing would happen.
      Just try to defend yourself when the cops come to your home, confiscate your gear, and lock you up.
      Just try to prove it wasn’t you who accessed those sites.

      Report Post » nkawtg  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 11:38am

      That’s so funny about our system: instead of going after the main culprit sinners which are the growers of drugs and the makers of porn; they go after the users. And really deep down inside you know why and it‘s that way they can use it to leverage and blackmail to get people to do other things they wouldn’t normally do for big-brother.

      Report Post »  
    • red_white_blue2
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 11:45am

      Agreed. This is out of control. What is with breaking down a door. What is wrong with a knock and a subpena, and then if it escalates you have the person lay on the ground etc. These ICE people need new training. This is scary as hell. And hell yea, I’d be suing..I’d sue everyone my attorney thought was reasonable to get a dime out of. Maybe if they lost a lawsuit to the tune of a few million they MIGHT reconsider their SOP..!

      Report Post » red_white_blue2  
    • Brooke Lorren
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 11:51am

      As an author, I do have to put a lot of things online. I do my best to go by a pseudonym though (although it’s sometimes difficult to keep them completely separate, but I try). I agree that geotagging is about one of the dumbest things ever invented. I don‘t think that it’s much of a safety breach to tell others where I went on vacation in 2009, but when I say I’m at X place right now, that just makes it a lot easier for others to exploit.

      It is a shame that not only do we have to protect ourselves from predators, but that we also have to protect ourselves from accusations of being predators caused by the acts of others.

      Report Post »  
    • rocketjay
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 2:05pm

      In cryptography there is a thing called “work factor”. Work factor refers to the amount of time and effort required to crack a code. A password is “cryptography” albeit rudimentary. This is your first layer of security.
      WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy): is a security encryption algorithm using a 40 bit key that is easily cracked. For this reason, it has been replaced by other technologies, first by WPA, then by WPA2.
      WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access): The original WPA standard used TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) designed as a solution to replace WEP without requiring the replacement of legacy hardware. WPA uses a 256 bit key to encrypt data. This key may be entered either as a string of 64 hexadecimal digits, or as a passphrase of 8 to 63 characters. It is susceptible to brute force attacks when a weak passphrase is used. TKIP suffered from similar flaws as WEP and has been replaced by more secure encryption schemes.
      WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access v2): uses a more secure AES-based algorithm. AES-Advanced Encryption Standard: The standard comprises three block ciphers, AES-128, AES-192 and AES-256. Each of these ciphers has a 128-bit block size, with key sizes of 128, 192 and 256 bits, respectively.
      Each of these methods (if used) needs to be cracked. With WEP being the weakest encryption and WPA2 being the strongest, the “work factor” increases with the better encryption.
      Sooooooooooo….don’t leave your “door open” with weak encryption. It’ll help keep the creeps and the cops away.
      The harder it is to get in, it’s less likely a drive-by hacker is to going to work at it.

      Report Post »  
    • rocketjay
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 2:07pm

      In cryptography there is a thing called “work factor”. Work factor refers to the amount of time and effort required to crack a code. A password is “cryptography” albeit rudimentary. This is your first layer of security.
      Wired Equivalent Privacy: is a security encryption algorithm using a 40 bit key that is easily cracked. For this reason, it has been replaced by other technologies, first by WPA, then by WPA2.
      Wi-Fi Protected Access: The original standard used TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) designed as a solution to replace WEP without requiring the replacement of legacy hardware. WPA uses a 256 bit key to encrypt data. This key may be entered either as a string of 64 hexadecimal digits, or as a passphrase of 8 to 63 characters. It is susceptible to brute force attacks when a weak passphrase is used. TKIP suffered from similar flaws as WEP and has been replaced by more secure encryption schemes.
      Wi-Fi Protected Access v2: uses a more secure AES-based algorithm. AES-Advanced Encryption Standard: The standard comprises three block ciphers, AES-128, AES-192 and AES-256. Each of these ciphers has a 128-bit block size, with key sizes of 128, 192 and 256 bits, respectively.
      Each of these methods (if used) needs to be cracked. With WEP being the weakest encryption and WPA2 being the strongest, the “work factor” increases with the better encryption.
      Sooooooooooo….don’t leave your “door open” with weak encryption. It’ll help keep the creeps and the cops away.
      The harder it is to get in, it’s less likely a drive-by hacker is to going to work at it.

      Report Post »  
    • iheartgeorgewashington
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 2:32pm

      @ Keveeee:
      Most child porn, not all, but most comes from countries that have weak internet laws… i.e. Russia, Switzerland.

      Report Post » iheartgeorgewashington  
    • tomsinclairjr
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 2:55pm

      Not only this, but THEBLAZE itself has taken it upon themselves to BLOCK some people when they make comments on this board. I do not know about you, but I am outraged that TheBlaze.com would restrict ANY comments under the 1st Amendment, provided it was not derrogatory (profanity). My friends have been blocked since they were trying to get Obama IMPEACHED. Goodbye Glenn Beck. Your ship is NOT tight these days and if I were you, I’d find out who the infiltrators are from the left.

      Report Post » I support God's Israel!  
    • Physicist_In_Training
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 3:30pm

      @Tom — the 1st amendment is intended to protect people from government censorship, not to keep private organizations from monitoring what goes on on their own property (or in this case, website). Crying “the first” is like crying “wolf;” it degrades the original purpose of that protection. If you don’t like your comments being removed, then stop leaving them, but it is extreme to say that’s a violation of the 1st.

      Back on topic…I sure hope the *actual* culprit here is put away for a long time. Child porn is absolutely disgusting and vile.

      Report Post » Physicist_In_Training  
    • Anonymous T. Irrelevant
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 3:54pm

      And DON’T use WEP encryption for your wireless router. Those can be broken by any kid with an internet connection and google. Use WPA or something stronger, and like most others here have said, use strong passwords with symbols (&$^&#*@&@*), numbers, and letters.
      I had some kids across the street who bragged to my kids that they were using our wireless, until I changed the encryption and password. The little snots couldn’t get in after that.
      I keep telling my kids not to put REAL information in myspace or facebook and it’s just mind-blowing why anyone would put all their personal information in there for all to see. What I did today,last night, last week, who cares!

      Report Post » Anonymous T. Irrelevant  
    • 1TrueOne55
      Posted on April 25, 2011 at 9:45pm

      Not sure if this advice is further down the page, DON’T USE WEP, it is the easiest to crack and is worthless to stopping a determined intruder. I recomend what I use and that is WPA/2-AES, this is supposed to be the strongest security currently available. It has been reported that it would require a super computer with days or years of time to break and so far has not been completely compromised on the Home Security side.

      WEP’s problem in setup is the fact that you only have 9 letters of the alphabet to work with and 0-9 in numerical characters to work with and WEP has been cracked with apps out on the Internet to steal your password.

      Report Post » 1TrueOne55  
    • mhannah.vera
      Posted on April 26, 2011 at 12:04am

      you are right, its up to us…we let them.

      Report Post » mhannah.vera  
    • Alaren
      Posted on April 26, 2011 at 4:43am

      Stories like this make me glad I have my computer hooked up directly to an external cable modem…

      Report Post »  
    • slimster
      Posted on April 26, 2011 at 5:13pm

      That guy should have pressed a law suit. they broke down his door and knocked him to the floor. kind of sounds like guilty until proven innocent to me.. He should have made sure something like this does not happen again.. if they did that at my house, I would assume its another Mexican/gang home invasion and came out of my bedroom shooting.

      Report Post »  
    • BlueStrat
      Posted on April 26, 2011 at 9:21pm

      The article is incorrect. An IP address IS NOT a “unique identifying number” for an individual person. It is, in most cases, a TEMPORARY identification assigned AT RANDOM by the ISP’s routing hardware.

      Anyone with minimal computer networking skills can “spoof” ANY IP address from anywhere at any time with absolutely no need to connect through some poor schmucks’ wireless router. This is simply government/law enforcement taking the path of least resistance while doing an end-run around probable cause and search warrant requirements that they identify the *person* and place to be searched.

      Don’t let the screams of “CHILD PORN!!!!1!” convince you to buy this freedom and privacy destroying policy that forces individuals to become a layer of law enforcement to avoid having your doors kicked in and you and your family roughed up and held at gunpoint.

      What they want to discourage is open networks where people might connect to each other without the chance for government to monitor everything, or able to communicate if/when Obama uses the “internet kill switch” powers he’s assumed to shut down ISPs.

      I say. rather than locking down our ability to communicate and censor ourselves, OPEN all the wireless routers and WiFi networks!

      Heck, I’ve got a sign up saying “Open Wireless Access Point”. I also have the router set to not log connections. I urge everyone I know to open their wireless router.

      Hackers and pedos don’t need unsecured wireless access points. Heck, they own entire networks overseas. They existed before wireless access existed. I’m not interested in giving up any of my freedoms or privacy just to make life easier for law enforcement to go after some sweaty perv in NJ when they completely ignore the sources that generate the filth, and in so doing, restrict our ability to communicate *around* the government if it decides to shut down civilian communications.

      Since when did Americans think restricting the People’s ability to communicate without government permission and monitoring was a good idea?

      Think carefully here, I beg you! Don’t let the “Gotta get the dirty pedos!!” screams sway you into sacrificing more of our freedoms!

      Report Post »  
    • WhereisReganWhenWeNeedHim
      Posted on April 26, 2011 at 10:26pm

      Agreed. Big Brother has always been there…lurking! Locking down your wireless router is so simple…JUST READ THE INSTRUCTIONS! That‘s why people don’t do it. As an IT Consultant, I hear too many people telling me they just don’t understand that computer stuff. They do however own the IPod, IPhone, ITouch, have a Mac or PC and do all of their online whatever up to 10 hours a day. The single word that comes to mind is LAZY. Read and follow the instructions…it even includes PICTURES!!!

      Report Post »  
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