Communicable ad-hoc networks ?

Recently I was baffled to see an ad hoc network in my house with SSID
hpsetup. Time with Google eventually revealed that some forms of
Microsoft Windows can advertise ad hoc networks that they have
previously seen (e.g., http://www.nmrc.org/pub/advise/20060114.txt), and
that some HP printers advertise a hpsetup network. So, as people lug
their Windows laptop around, this network gets advertised in new places.
(I don't know which versions are affected.)

I'm wondering, can this be transmitted from computer to computer, so
that a laptop computer advertising this network might simply be one of a
chain of computers where one saw a HP printer, and 'transferred' this ad
hoc network with SSID preserved from one computer to another? I've only
really played with infrastructure mode before, but I am intrigued to
know if this 'contagion' can spread from Windows machine to Windows
machine as people travel around, with ancestry far from the original HP
printer.

-- Mark

On Tue, 13 Mar 2007 12:52:18 -0400, mark@ixod.org (Mark T.B. Carroll)
wrote in <87slc984sd.fsf@ixod.org>:

>Recently I was baffled to see an ad hoc network in my house with SSID
>hpsetup. Time with Google eventually revealed that some forms of
>Microsoft Windows can advertise ad hoc networks that they have
>previously seen (e.g., http://www.nmrc.org/pub/advise/20060114.txt), and
>that some HP printers advertise a hpsetup network. So, as people lug
>their Windows laptop around, this network gets advertised in new places.
>(I don't know which versions are affected.)

That only happens if you actually _connect_ ad hoc.
It's not enough to just "see" the ad hoc SSID.

>I'm wondering, can this be transmitted from computer to computer, so
>that a laptop computer advertising this network might simply be one of a
>chain of computers where one saw a HP printer, and 'transferred' this ad
>hoc network with SSID preserved from one computer to another? I've only
>really played with infrastructure mode before, but I am intrigued to
>know if this 'contagion' can spread from Windows machine to Windows
>machine as people travel around, with ancestry far from the original HP
>printer.

No, it doesn't spread that way. You have to _connect_ ad hoc.

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>

Mark T.B. Carroll wrote:
> Recently I was baffled to see an ad hoc network in my house with SSID
> hpsetup. Time with Google eventually revealed that some forms of
> Microsoft Windows can advertise ad hoc networks that they have
> previously seen (e.g., http://www.nmrc.org/pub/advise/20060114.txt), and
> that some HP printers advertise a hpsetup network. So, as people lug
> their Windows laptop around, this network gets advertised in new places.
> (I don't know which versions are affected.)
>
> I'm wondering, can this be transmitted from computer to computer, so
> that a laptop computer advertising this network might simply be one of a
> chain of computers where one saw a HP printer, and 'transferred' this ad
> hoc network with SSID preserved from one computer to another? I've only
> really played with infrastructure mode before, but I am intrigued to
> know if this 'contagion' can spread from Windows machine to Windows
> machine as people travel around, with ancestry far from the original HP
> printer.
>
> -- Mark
>

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917021
"Wireless Auto Configuration sends probe requests to try to connect to
the first ad hoc wireless network in the preferred networks list. An
observer could monitor these probe requests and establish an unsecured
connection with a Windows wireless client.

On a computer that has the Wireless Client Update installed, Wireless
Auto Configuration does not send probe requests to connect to newly
created ad hoc wireless networks in the preferred networks list. Because
many ad hoc wireless networks are created for temporary wireless
connectivity, you must use the Choose a Wireless Network dialog box to
manually initiate a connection to an ad hoc mode wireless network."

John Navas <spamfilter1@navasgroup.com> writes:

> That only happens if you actually _connect_ ad hoc.
> It's not enough to just "see" the ad hoc SSID.

The description at
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1...9247738,00.htm mentions
"it will automatically try to connect to a wireless network". I know
that Vista's "Preferred Networks" config can be used to cause automatic
connection. Aren't there lots of people with Windows set to connect
automatically to the networks it sees?

-- Mark

On Tue, 13 Mar 2007 13:30:05 -0400, mark@ixod.org (Mark T.B. Carroll)
wrote in <87r6rtaw6a.fsf@ixod.org>:

>John Navas <spamfilter1@navasgroup.com> writes:
>
>> That only happens if you actually _connect_ ad hoc.
>> It's not enough to just "see" the ad hoc SSID.
>
>The description at
>http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1...9247738,00.htm mentions
>"it will automatically try to connect to a wireless network". I know
>that Vista's "Preferred Networks" config can be used to cause automatic
>connection. Aren't there lots of people with Windows set to connect
>automatically to the networks it sees?

<http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=149>

I checked with a Microsoft spokesperson and they confirmed that
Microsoft Security Research Center states that this is NOT a security
vulnerability. [emphasis added]

Worth reading in its entirety.

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>

John Navas <spamfilter1@navasgroup.com> writes:
(snip)
> <http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=149>
>
> I checked with a Microsoft spokesperson and they confirmed that
> Microsoft Security Research Center states that this is NOT a security
> vulnerability. [emphasis added]
>
> Worth reading in its entirety.

Sure. I was just wondering if the network could 'spread' from computer
to computer, I wasn't suggesting anything about if it was bad or good.

-- Mark

On Tue, 13 Mar 2007 18:08:13 -0500, Peabody
<waybackNO784SPAM44@yahoo.com> wrote in
<y9GJh.6059$Ng1.2180@newsfe19.lga>:

>Mark T.B. Carroll says...
>
> > Sure. I was just wondering if the network could 'spread'
> > from computer to computer, I wasn't suggesting anything
> > about if it was bad or good.
>
>This was covered recently in a Security Now episode (#80 I
>think), and was described as a harmless Windows bug. Here's
>the excerpt:
>
>LEO: Thom in Cortland, New York raised his antenna and
>asked: I have a question about Wi-Fi. Recently I took my
>university laptop home. Instead of a presentation, I
>started the system. Instead of a presentation.
>
>STEVE: Ahead of.
>[SNIP]

Steve and Leo. God help us! Neither has any qualifications in
security.

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>