Short for wireless fidelity, Wi-Fi "hot spots" or nodes, also known as IEEE 802.11b, can be wirelessly tapped into from a laptop or mobile device for instantaneous Internet access at 11 megabits per second. However, Wi-Fi access points also leave individual users highly vulnerable to attack and network hijacking, as is the case in Toronto.
The suspect was first spotted driving the wrong way down a one-way street in a residential neighborhood. When police pulled the man over, they discovered that he was naked from the waist down and viewing child porn from his laptop.
It was later discovered that the suspect was driving around the neighborhood with a Wi-Fi enabled laptop looking for hotspot points that enable Wi-Fi users to hijack bandwidth.
The suspect was found to have multiple child pornography images on his hard drive, including an image of a 10-year-old girl engaged in a sex act with an adult male, police reported.
He was charged with two counts for possessing child pornography and additional charges for accessing child pornography, distributing child pornography, theft of telecommunications, and making child pornography, according to police.
The police have since recognized a growing trend among child predators that are making use of this leading-edge form of wireless technology. The Toronto police have issued an alert to homes and businesses using unsecured networks.
The suspect was engaged in what is being called "War Driving," which involves tapping into other people's networks using a Wi-Fi equipped laptop with a wireless LAN card. War Driving also involves an on-screen utility that displays wireless network access points and the signal strength of the network detected.