Silk Road forums

Discussion => Security => Topic started by: thesearstower on October 18, 2012, 03:41 am

Title: Hacking WEP & WPA Networks Is Easy. Does it help my anonymity?
Post by: thesearstower on October 18, 2012, 03:41 am
I'm sure this has been mentioned here before, but I couldn't find it on a cursory search of the forums, so I figured I'd ask.

Given that with the proper wireless card and a copy of BackTrack5, I can crack the passwords to almost every network on my block, does it make me more secure in my SR purchasing to use one of these hacked networks to connect to TOR?

If network analysis is being used to figure out which IP addresses are connecting to the TOR network, and the IP address I used is linked to my neighbor's WiFi network, this is better than it being linked to my home network, right? That way I'm never connecting to a TOR node through my own network, and have a bit more plausible deniability. ("My neighbor bought the drugs and had them sent to my house, I swear! Check the IP logs!") Or am I somehow exposing myself more?


FWIW, learning to crack WEP or WPA routers was not that difficult for me, and it's allowed me to have internet access wherever I am, which is very convenient. For those that are interested, you might start by researching the aircrack-ng suite for WEP and reaver for WPA (technically WPS). You night need some hardware if your wireless card doesn't play nicely, and the BackTrack distro is great for all types of penetration testing.
Title: Re: Hacking WEP & WPA Networks Is Easy. Does it help my anonymity?
Post by: thesearstower on October 20, 2012, 07:55 pm
I know that lesson number one of the 'How to Deal With the Cops 101' is:

- Don't talk to the cops. Period.

I was just joking about the IP logs.

I've done a bit more reading since I posted this question, and I've come to the conclusion that it *does* provide an extra layer of security, but that extra layer of security is trivial. One is much better off using the public WiFi in a coffeeshop or such than using the networks near one's house.

I think that for small-timers, there's a lot more to fear from the post office than from the FBI/DEA. Plus, once you put on that tin-foil hat, it's awfully hard to take off.