wireless access point in FreeBSD 8.2p2

[Robert Bonomi]

> From owner-freebsd-questions at freebsd.org  Sun Aug 28 20:41:41 2011
> From: Paul Beard <paulbeard at gmail.com>
> Date: Sun, 28 Aug 2011 18:39:41 -0700
> To: Warren Block <wblock at wonkity.com>
> Cc: "freebsd-questions at FreeBSD. ORG" <freebsd-questions at freebsd.org>
> Subject: Re: wireless access point in FreeBSD 8.2p2
>
>
> I'll read through that and see if it helps me at all.
>
> I found this   "'Hidden' SSIDs are not really hidden. They make network 
> setup more difficult and provide no real security benefits."   
> interesting. I assume you could figure them out from wardriving?

Hidden SSIDs just mean that the access point doesn't broadcast/announce it.
The client machine has to transmit it, so that _AN_ access point can tell
whether or not the client is tryint to connect to _it_.

With something that snoops _all_ the wireless traffic, all you have to do
is wait for somebody, _anybody_, to connect to that access point, and bingo,
you've got the SSID.

'Hiding' the ID does nothing to deter the "determined" attacker, but it is
quite effective at stopping the 'casual' leech.  It also means that boxes
that 'automatically" connect to the strongest signal in range, when none
of their 'favored' networks are in range -- such boxes wil _not_ attempt
to a system that doesn't "publish" it's SSID.  This can be beneficial.