War chalking is the drawing of symbols in open spaces to warn about Wi-Fi wireless networks. War chalking occurs when people draw symbols in areas to indicate the presence of an open Wi-Fi network. The symbols used typically say something about the access point. War chalking attracted hackers to break into the said public Wi-Fi networks and gather information about their users.
Differences between War driving and War chalking:
Wardriving |
Warchalking |
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Wardrive is that one is usually stationary and scanning for access points, while the other involves physically driving around to find access points. |
Warchalking is the act of marking chalk symbols on the pavement near an entrance to a business or residence that lets people know it’s possible to connect. |
Wardrive, the user is usually stationary and scanning for wireless networks |
Warchalking, on the other hand, a person actually drives around to find these locations. |
Wardriving is a common term used to describe driving around with a laptop in search of access points. |
Warchalking involves marking symbols with chalk on the pavement near an entrance to a business or residence that lets people know it’s possible to connect. Warchalking can also be applied to mobile applications, consisting of both businesses and consumers, as a means of organizing their Wi-Fi signal strength. |
Wardriving, one is usually stationary while scanning for access points |
Warchalking one actually travels around looking for access point locations. |
Wardrive, the user is usually stationary and scanning for wireless networks. |
Warchalking, on the other hand, a person actually drives around to find these locations. |
Countermeasures of War chalking:
- Implementing security awareness training
- Developing cyber security policies
- Installing spam filters and anti-malware software
- Deploying Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW)
- Installing endpoint detection & response (EDR)