Warchalking

The term "warchalking" comes from combination of "WAR" plus "chalk", "WAR" means "Wireless Access Revolution" and "chalk" is a tool usually used to draw these symbols on streets.

Wardivers travel to different locations and once a venerable WiFi network has been found chalk is used to identify it. This chalk can be found on pavements or walls often in conspicuous places around the area. Some examples are shown below:
















There are different symbols which mean different restrictions have been placed upon the network.

OPEN NODE symbol means, that one can use Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN) in given area without restriction. ssid is the name of the network and under the symbol available bandwidth is (sometimes) placed.

CLOSED NODE symbol means, that there is a WLAN network in vicinity but it is closed to access for external users. It means secure network.

WEP NODE symbol means, that the network is closed with WEP encryption technique (WEP = Wireless Equivalent Privacy). For clever users however this method of security is not a big problem and they are able to use such WLAN network.






This has raised a lot of debate on the ethics of such an activity and also promoted higher securities on both business and personal networks.

information taken from:
http://mobile.msmobiles.com/i.php?id=50
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardriving

images taken from:
http://www.visuallee.com/weblog/images/chalking_mica.jpg
http://msmobiles.com/archives/2003.6.29_133519/warchalking.jpg
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38150000/jpg/_38150559_warchalk-150.jpg
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38150000/jpg/_38150554_wchalk-300.jpg
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2004/TECH/internet/10/18/wireless.security/story.warchalking.gif
http://suburbia.sindominio.net/IMG/jpg/warchalking.jpg
http://www.tidbits.com/resources/664/macwarehouse.jpg