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What's the funniest WiFi network name you've seen? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) by CowsLookLikeMaps@sh.itjust.works to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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Synthead@lemmy.world kindly commented that wifi network names of you and your neighbour can be used to locate your address, so please be aware to avoid betraying your privacy. Peace!

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[-] swordsmanluke@programming.dev 6 points 11 months ago

Back in the day, if you joined an adhoc mesh network - ever - then Win XP would broadcast that network SSID anytime you weren't connected to anything else.

So once, someone somewhere created an ad hoc network named "Free Public Wi-Fi" and people being people, someone else connected to it. After that, every time their laptop had no other viable connection, their machine would offer "Free Public Wi-Fi"... and the machine of anyone else who connected would behave the same way.

Sorry, that's more than fifty words.

Tl;Dr: it was an accidental virus that took advantage of a bug in human psychology. And Windows XP. Eventually, XP was patched.

[-] Wogi@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago

It followed the spirit of the request gracefully, I appreciate you

this post was submitted on 12 Dec 2023

244 points (92.4% liked)

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