1. Introduce yourself, give us a little bit about your background, what do you do for a living?
I’m the son of a political refugee from Poland. My father was part of Solidarność, thus instilling in me a healthy distrust of any government. Currently I am a conservative. Being refugees, we lived in Austria, Germany, South Africa (during apartheid) and the United States of America.
I have been working in Telecommunications for 25 years now in a multitude of roles. With wireless being my main focus in the past decade.
2. Aren’t you one of the top war drivers in the world? Can you tell the readers about that?
I am currently the 4th highest ranked wardriver in the world, but don’t like saying so. I have said it here and there but stay away from flaunting or gloating. I believe it shows poor taste and validation from strangers on the internet is not my goal. I am very competitive with myself and thrive on competing against others. Competition brings out the best performance in people, if not always the best behaviour. The main focus for me is to be able to teach new people in the wardriving world things that I have been taught or learned along the way in my 13+ years of wardriving.
3. Can you explain what wardriving is and how it has evolved over the years?
Wardriving is logging wifi networks and cell towers using mobile phones running the Wigle app, SBC’s running linux with kismet and other specialized wardriver devices. These files are then uploaded to Wigle.net and mapped for visual inspection.
Wardriving in the beginning was done with less sophisticated equipment and was done more to find open wifi networks to possibly connect to. The explosion of wifi enabled devices for the home, business and enterprise was just beginning thus compared to today it was not as prevalent.
4. Let’s talk loadout. What is it that you operate with when on a wardrive?
It has evolved over the years. In the beginning, like many new people to wardriving, I had only one phone running the Wigle app. Another phone was added not too long after that. Working with phones at my day job, I was able to use about 8-10 phones for wardriving. There was experimentation and tons of failures along the way.
Today, I use 3-4 phones, a Raspberry PI4 rig and have recently been testing a JHewitt device. While I believe that the best wardriving rig consists of a combination of gear, I am a huge proponent of phones being the best per dollar invested performing device. Bar none, you can’t go wrong with just using phones.
5. If one wanted to get started, would they need to use similar equipment? What are the essentials for a beginner?
This is a great question. What are the essentials for a beginner? The first thing to do is to have a good foundational understanding of what wardriving is. If you understand what you are doing, then you are knowledgeable in what tools to use. For beginners, I suggest watching the best video on a clear and proper explanation of what wardriving is. Click Here
The video is by a current member of my wardriving group on wigle, “The Art of Wardriving”.
Now that you know what wardriving is, the easiest and best way to start is with a phone. As you get better with wardriving, you can add more phones. This again is the fastest way to achieve results. Buying devices off of Instagram is not something I recommend to new users at all. Unless, the devices are shown to be effective with data backing up any and all claims.
6. Where do you sign up to log in your wardriving exploration, and what are the
benefits of using WiGLE.NET?
We all use wigle.net to upload our data. Wigle.net founders are very helpful along with the community that has formed around wigle and wardriving. There are outliers in both the negative and positive aspects of the wardriving community, so educating new users about wardriving is the best way to avoid the negative one.
Wigle.net has also been used to locate stolen property and missing people just to name a few things that wigle.net can be used for in a positive way, there are many negative things as well but they fall outside of what wardriving is. Hence, we won’t mention those activities.
7. What are the legal and illegal aspects of wardriving? How can one ensure they
stay on the right side of the law?
It is legal to wardrive, because the technical aspect of wardriving is simply just listening to what is being broadcast out in the open. Trying to break into networks that do NOT belong to you is illegal. Trespassing on private property and jumping fences to get closer to buildings to scan for wifi is illegal. Wardriving is just logging wifi networks and cell tower data. Nothing more.
8. Can you explain the importance of understanding local laws and regulations
before engaging in wardriving?
I am not an expert in the area of law. Before you decide to take this hobby on, please check for yourself to make sure wardriving is legal in your country. You alone will have to bear the legal consequences, so please do your research.
9. Back to loadout, let’s talk about skill sets. Can you elaborate on the key skills and knowledge areas necessary for effective wardriving?
The most effective way of wardriving is grids. Pick a point on the map as your starting point. Go back and forth on all the streets north-south and east-west. Essentially filling in every street in this “grid” on the map. When you complete this, pick a grid next to the one you just finished. Rinse and repeat. This is the strategy used during the WWWD that happens annually before Def Con, it is also the strategy used by the top wardrivers in the world.
Always be wardriving. Going to the store? Run wigle on a phone. Going to walmart, costco, starbucks, or the library? Run wigle on the phone. Basically, whenever you leave the house run wigle on the phones. Always be wardriving.
10. Touch points on your TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures). What’s the method to your madness?
I am a strategist by nature. Planning is key, execution of your plan is the devil in the details. So while I gave you an overview of the “grids” we wardrivers do, an in depth explanation is not something I am going to give away for free. Masterclass one on one is available depending on my commitments at the time.
11. How do you approach planning a wardriving session? What factors do you consider?
I am willing to listen to anyone that talks about wardriving, I will ask questions and pick at the things you say. This approach has led me to learn many things from people that are much newer to wardriving than me. We all look at the environment we are in thru different eyes and experiences so it is possible to learn something from almost everyone. Then you adopt what works for you to improve your wardriving sessions.
The most important factor in wardriving is speed. The slower, the better. Are you driving a car? Riding a bicycle? Walking? The differences in the speed will determine how to approach an environment. A car will travel further down the road, but can’t go where a bike or a person walking can do. Overall, the car will have more per session but the saturation per block will be less than a person riding a bike or walking. Can’t drive a car into a mall.
Most people have a phone or 2, possibly a raspberry pi and maybe even a wardriver unit. Very few people are spending $5k on a rig to put in the trunk of their Honda. Due to this, overtime you will hopefully evolve a system that works for you.
12. What can one do with all the intel you’ve mapped out? Whether it’s black hat,
white hat, hacking?
Many things can be done with knowledge. Depending on your moral compass and ethics, good or evil can be accomplished. For example, most wardrivers like to hide their locations in various ways including smearing their house out in google street view yet post their house and cars on instagram. They do grids thus allowing other knowledgeable wardrivers to immediately see them on the maps. Grids only show that a wardriver is present, not the identity of the wardriver. But anyone well versed in OSINT will be able to find out information from usually very little.
An example of the good would be to set up a “trap grid” that you are within so that you can analyze the data to see if you are being stalked. An actual case did go to court using this very strategy and tactic. Stolen car have been recovered, missing people found.
I am not a hacker, never considered myself one or allowed people to call me that. So I can’t speak on this.
13. What ethical considerations should wardrivers keep in mind when collecting and sharing data?
Collecting data for wardriving purposes i.e. uploading to wigle and analysis for research is fine. Sharing access to the data by using your credentials on wigle.net is highly advised against. Your account can be terminated for actions you might not have condoned.
14. Can you discuss the potential risks and benefits of wardriving from both a
personal and societal perspective?
The benefits of wardriving would be greater awareness of the potential security vulnerabilities of wifi networks. More scrutiny hopefully leads to improved and safer equipment for the end user.
Wardriving can be used for recon of a potential target by bad actors. Targeting of sensitive infrastructure, government or military installations. This is why Wigle.net has taken a political stance to protect Ukraine by blocking out all wifi information from the map. This is the highest profile example of risks.
15. What are the security implications of the data collected through wardriving? How can this data be used for good?
This would be more appropriate to ask wigle.net. I don’t not let anyone access my data, and take great care for my OPSEC.
16. What’s the importance of doing it so much? Is it exploration, intel gathering, or something else?
As I have gotten better at wardriving/warcycling/warwalking I have explored parts of NYC and other areas in North and South America as well as Europe that otherwise I would never have seen as there was no purpose for being there. I have found really good places to eat, interesting and old architecture and really know my surrounding areas due to exploring every street. The fact that wigle.net rankings gamify the act of wardriving, it does spark my competitive nature.
17. How has the landscape of wireless networks changed in recent years, and what impact has this had on wardriving?
There is a multitude more devices that have wifi capability versus the beginning of wardriving. We now have a magnitude more of devices to log.
18. Can you describe some of the most interesting or surprising discoveries you’ve made during your wardriving sessions?
I have been able to find and track a person of great dislike, much easier than I thought it would be. I think many people have a false sense of security in terms of the internet and their own personal home networks. Wardriving has led me down some paths of exploration that have opened my eyes.
19. How does wardriving contribute to the field of cybersecurity and network
analysis?
I can’t speak on cybersecurity. Network analysis would start out with, have a very good passphrase and your equipment should be patched with all the latest and greatest in firmware. Firewalls and intrusion detection come to mind, but are too advanced for most users. Make sure that you are safe. Do your research.
20. What role does WiGLE.NET play in the global wardriving community, and how has it facilitated the exchange of information?
The wardriving community uses wigle.net. Forums are great for ideas and an exchange. Wigle.net founders are great at communication with the community and helpful.
Outside in reality, people don’t like to share information or their builds at all. It’s almost as if they have live aliens and their fully functioning spaceship in their garage. Just like any other activities in life, there is ego involved.
21. How do you ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data you collect and submit to WiGLE.NET?
Wardriving is GPS based. Wigle on the phones and gps enabled devices log the wifi networks. Wigle.net does the trilateration. Ask them about details.
22. What are some of the common challenges or obstacles you face during
wardriving, and how do you overcome them?
Believe it or not, I have only heat as my enemy. I do not like the heat at all, so riding my bike when it is 90 degrees outside with high humidity is extremely physically challenging. I still ride but my rides are shorter in distance, usually around 35 miles or less. Hydration is key.
There are other wardrivers that are stronger at this than me, but they aren’t NYC based so it’s not something I think about. I don’t have any competitor in NYC or the tristate area that can challenge me in wardriving. If one appears, I know for a fact that my mindset will overwhelm any challenger. I destroyed the last person that thought he could challenge me. I will NOT be beaten.
23. Can you explain the process of analyzing and interpreting the data collected from wardriving sessions?
People use different applications to analyze their data, I can’t speak on it as mostly I don’t bother. If I need to analyze data for a paid project Wireshark is the way to start.
24. What tools and software do you recommend for mapping and visualizing
wardriving data?
I am a cyclist, I used ridewithgps.com to map out my route for grids. Strava.com is to log my riding activities. Wandrer.earth is to explore the streets of the world.
I use wigle.net maps filtered for dates so I can see where I have been or need to go to scan. Exploring the map with different parameters allows for a great understanding of what wardriving is going on or what happened in the past. Explore maps on wigle and learn to use it well.
25. How do you keep your skills and knowledge up to date in the rapidly evolving field of wireless technology and network security?
I come from telecommunications, a different understanding of the internet from a backbone provider. Wifi is silly to me and a very good attack vector. I don’t have wifi at home.
26. Can you share any tips or best practices for staying safe and discreet while
wardriving?
Having a 5.11 tactical backpack is a dead give away. Antennas and or cables are too high vis. Panel antennas on the car with cables is a dead give away. 2-3 phones in pockets or a small sling bag/messenger bag are the best way so far. Hiding in plain sight as most people won’t suspect anything if you carry a few phones on you.
27. What advice would you give to someone interested in starting their journey in
wardriving and contributing to WiGLE.NET?
Watch the wardriving video a few times so you understand what wardriving is. Get 2-3 phones running wigle. Don’t buy gadgets off of Instagram. Instagram is a marketing tool and those people are selling you sub par performing gadgets or “toys” that look cool but are a waste of money. Trust me, I don’t want you to waste any of your money.
28. How do you balance the technical and ethical aspects of wardriving in your work?
Only stupid people think they won’t get caught. It is this underestimation that is your downfall. I don’t want to talk to the authorities, police or fbi, hence I don’t go down the road of questionable activities.
29. What impact do you hope your wardriving efforts have on the broader field of
cybersecurity and wireless network research?
I think cybersecurity and wireless network research is just some buzz words that are a trend now, just like anything cloud about a decade ago. I hope my small contribution to the wardriving community at large would be a better understanding of wardriving, hopefully an end to vultures taking advantage of new people by selling them garbage and some healthy discourse that doesn’t end cause you feel offended by me being able to defend my position and questioning or attacking yours. Competition makes you better and if you can’t defend what you said without resorting to your feelings maybe you should take up knitting.
30. Looking ahead, what do you see as the future of wardriving and wireless network exploration? How might emerging technologies influence this practice?
Hopefully, the wardriving community can have a positive impact on security of all the wifi enabled devices that are in our daily lives as well as future products yet to be introduced. By using what we know, what we will learn about how to protect those that can’t do it for themselves. I hope that our work will be used for good.
31. Where can we find you on social media, how do the readers follow your
operation? (ANYTHING FOR SALE)
There is only one toothpaste. Any variation such as toothpaste.io or drtoothpaste is me. I have started to build a small focused team, the art of wardriving on IG, of fellow wardrivers and new potentials to show that a good strategy and well executed tactics can overcome sheer numbers. This is not only to show the ability of the team as a collective, improving the individuals, but also the tools we use to wardrive. More does not equal better. Efficiency is not as important as effectiveness.
I have no gadgets to sell and I never will. I don’t believe as a personal ethos that scamming people out of money is the right thing to do. I have helped numerous people along the way with real world examples and fully functional rigs based upon what they are doing and not some unreachable build. I have testimonials that attest to my personal philosophy and my technical prowess in the wardriving world.
One on one sessions are available and reasonable. But it’s not something I push or advertise ad nauseam.
I’m easy to find, you’ve probably heard about me. Believe it all.
toothpaste
