Ask HN: Establishments that offer free Wi-Fi, how do you protect yourselves?

20 points by hive_mind 9 years ago | 5 comments

How do establishments that offer free Wi-Fi protect themselves from illegal activities on the connection?

sputr 9 years ago |

So this is a problem the Slovenian free and open wireless network project had. People were worried about what others would do on their connection.

So now the firmware you flash on the router you'll use as an access point is preconfigured with a VPN. Simple and it works well. The only problem is they've been having problems getting enough free VPN bandwidth as the project grows.

Project's website: https://wlan-si.net/en/

jMyles 9 years ago |

It's not at all clear that having an open wi-fi network results in greater exposure to responsibility for unwanted actions on the network.

In fact, Bruce Schneier expressly keeps his wireless network open, for this reason among others.

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/01/my_open_wirel...

bobbington 9 years ago | |

Interestingly he basically lists some potential problems with doing it, but says he thinks the pros of offering free internet to people are worth the cons. For some people, the argument works, but I think the risks are too great. People download illegal stuff so often that I wouldn't want to risk sharing my ip with someone like that. If you are a coffee shop you will easily be able to show that it was probably a connected user. But as an individual, you'll have a much harder time proving it was the guy who used your free wifi.

Secondly he makes the argument that his computer should be secure anyways, which I think indicates a poor understanding of how computer security works. No matter how well he configures his system, there will always be undiscovered bugs in his OS. Having multiple layers of security makes it significantly safer

zjs 9 years ago |

There's some information on this topic at https://openwireless.org.

Hydraulix989 9 years ago |

Most places don't do much other than maybe block ports. Having an auth system also helps.