A good computer security engineer might have an opportunity as a consultant in Panama. I had to drive to downtown David today and for fun, I took my laptop and scanned for wireless connections.
I was surprised how many times I found up to 5 or 6 wireless networks that were within range of my car. Many of the connections were for businesses. Some were non-business.
Some of both types were broadcasting their SSID and many were not using encryption. A network security analyst would go crazy. For maximum security, the broadcast SSID mode should not be enabled and at minimum they should be using WPA encryption.
The broadcast SSID mode is used to make it easy to connect. Security experts want it difficult to connect to a network. Thieves want it easy to connect.
If you know of people that are running a wireless network, ask them if they have “Broadcast SSID” enabled. If they don’t know what you are talking about, then they probably do. The next question would be, “What type of encryption are you using – WEP or WPA?” If you get another glazed look, then they probably don’t have encryption enabled.
If you know a Panama business that is using wireless networking within their office, then the same questions could apply.
Big brother may not be watching, but there is a good chance that somebody is.
Arabian Nights and Turkish Delights
