We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Networking

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is Access Point Mapping?

By Derek Schauland
Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 10,524
Share

Access point mapping is a technique used to exploit wireless networks by making unauthorized use of unsecured wireless lans. Also known as war driving, access point mapping involves driving around a city or neighborhood to search out open wireless lans.

Once open networks are located, they can be used for any purpose, from obtaining company documents to simply checking your email. Many wireless networks remain open to whomever happens to be in the area because the individuals or companies who use these networks do not feel taking additional security measures is necessary or worthwhile. Others are unaware of the potential security risks of leaving a network unsecured.

GPS technology is used for access point mapping, making these networks more easily to locate. The war driver can place wireless networks on a map and publish it using internet technology like Google maps or Yahoo.

To keep wireless access limited to those who it is intended for, it is recommended that companies and individuals use built in protection technology including pass phrases to secure their wireless lan(s). At one point, protocols like WiFi equivalent privacy (WEP), Internet Protocol Security (IPSec), or WiFi protected access (WPA) were sufficient. As time goes on however, exploits are created and encryption technologies are compromised. Be sure to use the latest and most secure method to protect your computer or network.

In addition to securing wireless access from unauthorized use, network operators are also encouraged to configure a firewall behind the wireless access point. This will add an additional layer of security to keep the data on a wireless network from ending up somewhere it does not belong.

Access point mapping is completely preventable if simple measures are taken to protect wireless lans. Some organizations also limit the physical devices that are allowed wireless access by preventing the assignment of access by a wireless device’s media access control (MAC) address. This address is the physical hardware address assigned to a network adapter at the time of manufacture. Another way to prevent access point mapping is to list the MAC addresses for all allowed devices within the wireless router or access point. Doing this can limit connections to only the listed MAC addresses or deny connections to the unlisted addresses.

As wireless access to networks and the Internet becomes more popular and more widely available, access point mapping is sure to gain some popularity because it offers free access to the Internet. This free access can also be used to compromise company data and should be secured whenever wireless networks are being used. Some municipalities and organizations are making wireless networks available for a fee or even for free to patrons or residents, which could easily cut into the use of access point mapping for Internet access. Unfortunately, malicious users may still use access point mapping technology to make attempts to obtain trade secrets or company information.

Share
EasyTechJunkie is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Discussion Comments
By anon21055 — On Nov 09, 2008

WEP encryption is completely outdated and should not even be considered as a security option for home networks much less businesses with important documents. Also MAC address filtering is also widely exploited. This article needs a serious update. Heck WPA-TKIP has recently been exploited as well. Use WPA/WPA2 with AES encryption and a long (63 character preferably) random paasphrase with special characters. More info: google wep cracking or mac spoofing or backtrack 3

Share
https://www.easytechjunkie.com/what-is-access-point-mapping.htm
Copy this link
EasyTechJunkie, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

EasyTechJunkie, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.