August 24, 2007

Man arrested for Wi Fi hijacking

Although the police say that the arrest of a 39 year old man from Hounslow, London yesterday, is not part of a strategic police operation, it has sent out signals that this type of thing will not tolerated.

The man was arrested while sitting on a wall outside a house in Chiswick, West London, after being spotted by police acting suspiciously and it was only after they investigated him further that the true nature of what he was doing came to be known. He then admitted to the police that he had found an unsecured Wi Fi hot spot and had used it to access the internet.

There has been talk that this type of offence wastes the police forces time and resources, but there are many people out there who would think different.

The case has been handed over to the Computer Crime Unit, who also takes these matters very seriously. Their take on it is, that stealing peoples broadband connections, potentially breaches the Computer Misuse Act.

As for the man, he is bailed to return to the police station in October, where it is expected he will be getting off with just a caution!

Source [ZD Net]

Filed Under Security