Definition
War driving is searching for open Wi-Fi networks by driving around the neighborhoods with a Wi-Fi-enabled device and mapping these networks.
The perpetrators usually target information such as signal strength, network names (SSIDs), encryption types, and GPS coordinates to create a database or a map of these networks.
History of War Driving
The emergence of Wi-Fi and 802.11 standards in 1998 ignited interest in wireless networking. 1999 Peter Shipley devised the phrase ‘war driving’ at a DEF CON hacking conference.
Wardriving gained popularity as tech enthusiasts, hackers, and security researchers started discussing it regularly in forums and articles online.
Joshua Wright released NetStumber, the first war-driving tool for Windows, in 2001. It enabled users to scan for Wi-Fi networks, gather network information, and display it in a user-friendly interface.
Interest in war driving increased even further after Kevin Poulsen, a tech journalist and author, published an article titled ‘WarDriving: Pringles Can Antenna’.
Smartphone technology spiked the popularity of this activity as it allowed users to carry everything they needed for war driving in one device. Cybersecurity researchers continue to spotlight this area, stressing the need for secure Wi-Fi configurations.