Wardriving: an experience in the city of La Plata

Abstract

In the last few years, the use of wireless networks has been growing exponentially in many situations of our daily life. They are implemented in very different environments and are used for a wide range of applications. This reality is reflected in the information published in the CISCO barometer. The incorporation of wireless technology allows, by taking advantage of broadband connections through xDLS or cablemodem, with the speed these have acquired, the incorporation of wireless devices which extend coverage with lower costs, while providing users with mobility. With the goal of proving the said growth, and analyzing the characteristics of these networks, we performed a study, using the wardriving technique in the city of La Plata. Similar studies have been performed around the world, some with the main goal of evaluating the security status of these networks. This article describes our wardriving experience in the city of La Plata, capital city of the province of Buenos Aires, describing the tasks performed, the tools used and the results obtained.