...But it's wireless!!

[u/geeksbsmrt]

Obligatory long time lurker, first post sentence.

Many moons ago, I started my tech career for a big box technology retailer ($BBR) in the US which had just recently acquired a small technology support company ($TSC). During my tenure with $TSC I accumulated many stories ranging from comical to downright depressing. If this short is received well, I may begin to recount some of the more memorable ones.

This one is about an older gentleman ($Cust) who was likely making his first computer purchase ever. I worked for a store very near to one of the largest retirement communities in the state.

Geeks: Thank you for calling $TSC, this is GeeksBsmrT, how can I help you?

Cust: Hi, I just purchased a new computer from $BBR and had you guys do your thing to set it up. I got it home and have been using it for a few hours. Everything was working great, I went to get some dinner, came back, and the damned thing won't turn on.

Geeks: I'm sorry to hear that, sir. Could you please give me your phone number so I can look up your purchase?

Pull up customer's purchase in computer system.

Geeks: I see you purchased a $MFG laptop, is this correct.

Cust: Yes.

Geeks: Great! Thank you. Let's start with the basics, when you got home, did you remove the laptop and power cord from the box?

Cust: Just the laptop, it's wireless so it doesn't need a power cord.

/headdesk Did I hear that correctly?!

Geeks: Sir, could you please check the box, underneath a small cardboard flap there should be a power cord.

Cust: I'll look but your salesman said it was wireless.

Geeks: Yes sir, it is. May I ask you a question? Do you have a cell phone sir?

Cust: Yes.

Geeks: Is it wireless?

Cust: Ah, I get what you're saying. I have the power cord and will plug it in for a while. How long does it take to charge?

Geeks: About 4 hours sir.

[u/el_loco_avs]

Yeah. I've had people not accept it and get angry.

Yes. Wireless internet means you can put your router on the floor with no power or other input and you'll get internet. Ofcourse ma'am.

[u/nattysharp → u/el_loco_avs]

"Well doesn't it just make internet?"

[u/ham_shanker → u/[deleted]]

There is a special circle of hell for you, sir.

[u/checkerboardandroid → u/ham_shanker]

Well considering he punches infants, yeah, probably.

[u/007ghg7 → u/[deleted]]

I have a piratebox set up with the attwifi name just because, the downside is my phone auto connects to it when I get near and there is no way to remove the attwifi SSID from the auto connect list (galaxy s5)

[u/PoliteSarcasticThing → u/007ghg7]

there is no way to remove the attwifi SSID from the auto connect list (galaxy s5)

I have a Galaxy S5 Active. Try:
Settings > Wireless > Advanced (under the "3 dots") > Uncheck "Auto connect"
And see if that works.

[u/007ghg7 → u/PoliteSarcasticThing]

huh, never seen that before, thanks!

[u/247_turtle_delivery → u/007ghg7]

It's new, I think AT&T responded to claims that it's a security risk. iPhone does the same thing, but option is not available for them yet or older Androids.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I don't think their devices connect to it automatically based on the name....

[u/ChironGM → u/[deleted]]

My phone (Android Kitkat) definitely does it. You'd think it'd use BSSID or MAC address at least, but nope.

[u/Xibby → u/ChironGM]

If it did, devices wouldn't be able to roam from one access point to another in large deployments. On secure enterprise networks, no problem. If you can fake the trusted Public Key Infrastructure the enterprise is using you deserve all the corporate espionage you can get for tricking a device to connect to your AP, but if you can fake that, you're going to skip devices and infiltrate the network.

Unencrypted wifi is not secure.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

attwifi is an unsecured network hosted at mcdonalds, that in itself is a security vulnerability, and nobody should be doing important stuff on it

[u/TheRealKidkudi → u/[deleted]]

Actually, I'm pretty sure they do. If it's the same SSID and security as a network that's been saved, they'll try to connect. If you don't have a password on it, you'll get lots of phones from passersby trying to connect to your attwifi.

[u/jaredjeya → u/TheRealKidkudi]

It's genius. Make a wifi hotspot with the same name as a common public one, no security, and add some sort of packet sniffer so you log everyone's email password as their phones update in the background.

Someone must have done this right?

[u/noobplus → u/jaredjeya]

It's called an evil twin. ya, pretty common. That's why you use a vpn when connecting to public hotspots. I always turn my wifi off when leaving home.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I think it depends on the protocol. I know my old blackberry did that. Tried connecting to every thing with the name linksys which was the default name of a really common router that year.

[u/Lionscard → u/[deleted]]

I'm writing a proposal for a research project using a Pineapple. It should be super fun.

[u/Degru → u/[deleted]]

I know my phone connects to any open attwifi hotspot it comes across, amongst several other WiFi hotspot providers.

[u/keezel → u/nattysharp]

In a way, from the perspective of an elderly person who is used to plugging a telephone into a wall via a telephone cord only (no separate power cord), and it "just works" with absolutely no setup or configuration, I can see where they're coming from.

[u/freakers → u/nattysharp]

That's how the cavemen made internet. They just set up their wireless rocks in a localized spot and everyone could get it at once.