From the Rockford Star, here is a link to an article by Chris Green. David Kauchak, formerly of Machesney Park, pleaded guilty Tuesday to unauthorized use of a computer system. He received a fine of $250.00 and a year of probation.
According to the article, Kauchak was in a car at night outside a nonprofit agency’s offices with a laptop computer using the agency’s open wi-fi connection. A police officer coming by saw him and figured out what was happening.
Sometimes people set up open wi-fi connections with the intent to allow others to access them, but I can’t imagine a nonprofit agency doing so deliberately. It’s hard to plead innocence when caught using it in a car outside the building but within range of the wireless signal.
A reminder to all out there with wi-fi connections – be sure to secure them using at least WEP, if not WPA, level of encryption. If your hardware supports it, I recommend WPA. It’s much more secure.