128 Chapter 6 · Legal Issues of Intercepting WiFi Transmissions Regardless of the legality of WiFi eavesdropping, the public should be advised that the 802.11 family of standards places network authentication and information privacy in the hands of the network owner. Steps beyond the default install must be taken to ensure the privacy of your data and the secu- rity of your network. It is not clear that WiFi users would have any legal recourse if somebody eavesdropped on communications that the user had implicitly invited the world to listen to by leaving the door wide open. Works Cited 47 U.S.C: Communication Act of 1934 47CFR18.111(a);Title 47--Telecommunication Chapter I, Federal Communications Commission, Part 18 Industrial, Scientific, And Medical Equipment, Subpart A General Information, Sec. 18.111 General operating conditions, (a) Kern, Benjamin D. 2004. Whacking, Joyriding and War-Driving: Roaming Use of Wi-Fi and the Law. Santa Clara Computer and High Technology Law Journal. Infonetics Research's quarterly market share service, available at www.beerfiles.com.au/content/view/1334/0/ Solutions Fast Track WiFi Technology WiFi is a colloquial term referring to a wireless communication technology described in the IEEE's 802.11 body of standards. WiFi covers both infrared and RF as mediums for communication-- but most WiFi devices operate in the 2.4GHz or 5GHz RF bands. WiFi access points use an open system architecture as their default settings--therefore additional measures such as encryption must be configured to control network access, authentication, and privacy. www.syngress.com