Own A Pringles Can - You Can Run Fedex

CBS did a story tonight on how you can hack into Fedex's wireless network with a Pringles can and a few bucks in hardware from Home Depot. Pretty ridiculous!

Please elaborate...

Well, they didn't show all of the steps but the Pringles can was used as an antenna and was pointed toward a Fedex facility. The internal information regarding packages in transit was displayed on a portable computer in the hackers vehicle. It appears that he could change the shipping instruction on any particular shipment that he hacked into. The whole segment was only 1 minute long.

Thanks Saaby, you're right on top of it! Pretty amazing, huh?

Thank you. I had heard from our lead SE that our wireless antenneas could be replaced by Pringles cans. Now it appears that our transmissions can be picked up with $20.00 dollars worth of hardware, a laptop and a potato chip container.

Anybody know what the industry standard designation (how one geek refers to the device to another geek) is for for a non-micro wave data transmitter discussed here? ...Marty?

Here's a TechTv.com article on it, with additional links on how to build one:

"Cantenna"

Icebreak..Let's make one up. How about Spud-nik.

Marty

Even though I don't have any PC operations that that can cause he world to self destruct, or cost anyone else any money, this is one of the reasons I refuse to have any wireless (including IrDA) equipment on my computers.

At least Van Eck phreaking requires so much effort and expense that no one is going to bother with it with me, because short of living in a lead lined house, you can't stop that.

As long as you are aware all internet data can be monitored, you just get used to it and avoid doing anything that is "truly compromising". For example, only placing internet orders at SSL encrypted sites, using ssh to connect to remote hosts, using VPN to connect to remote networks... you should generally be ok.

I use wireless for my home lan, and I'm not really worried. I have configured my laptop's ethernet hardware address in the access point to prevent bandwidth stealing though.

*shrug* The internet hasn't really gotten any more dangerous. It just hasn't become secure like many naive people seem to think.

<-- Former Network Analyst

ah yes, the pringles cantennas... thing is, if people would bother to change the default setting (encryption turned on) or at least change the factory SSIDs, you'd be halfway to securing a wireless network. me, we've got 3 p2p computers on a wireless home network, and use the laptops for school wireless access too. between the encryption and firewalls, we're set against all but the most determined, not like there's anything valuable

ob. flashaholic content: while walking back from school tonight, i really wish i had an arc or infinity to watch where i was going <g>

Originally posted by Icebreak:
Anybody know what the industry standard designation (how one geek refers to the device to another geek) is for for a non-micro wave data transmitter discussed here?

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">But 802.11b is microwave. So, the answer to your question must be... 802.3!

I don't know...I just watch out for ID10T errors...

i like wardriving!
popular sport around here.