I've used the reference vijay quoted before.  Just because the door is left open, it doesn't give you the right to come in.

Also, it's very rare that you'll "accidentally" use someone's WAP.  You have to make a conscious decision to access their network.  Again, just because the signal is there, doesn't give you the right to use it.  In that theory, having a decryption system for satellite TV is fine and dandy, because the signal just happens to be being broadcast to your location; never mind the rights of the content owners.

While it's true that users need to be responsible for the technology they use, we all know that's just not true.  No patch for human stupidity, as they say.  Again, that doesn't give you the right to utilize someone else's stuff.

So, for one, you're accessing a private network without authorization.  That's a crime, period.  Second, you may be violating the ISP's Terms of Service (and in turn, the legal customer of the ISP is violating the ToS) by having computer not owned by the customer "sharing" their network.

Now, why is it illegal?  While the intentions of some may just be to check some email or hop on mapquest because they are lost, anyone reading these forums will probably know what kind of havoc can be wreaked with a little ARP spoofing and some Man in the Middle action.  Let alone default open shares on machines and such.  So the law is there to protect the ig'nint.

Okay, getting a little too preachy for my second post here, better stop before I really bury myself. 

Ahoyhoy,

Been reading the boards here for some time, figured it was time to chime in.

I took the C|EH exam on the 20th of Dec and passed with a 74%.  Not thrilled about the score, but I was studying off of older material (and I didn't study very hard), and many of the questions I thought were very poorly worded.  There was one I went over three times, even tried drawing out the question on the dry-erase card they gave me in the exam room to try to visualize the question, just couldn't do it.

The practice exam I used (Exam Prep) really seemed like it was nowhere near what the actual exam was like.  In fact, about 10 questions in to it I remember thinking "this is nothing like the practice test!"  Again, this could have had to do with the fact that I was going off older material (probably v4, book was published March 2006).  For the most part though, I sat for the exam with my "off the street" knowledge, and just really flipped through the book and practice exam.

All that being said, I thought the exam was pretty easy.  I was a little spooked because I've read numerous posts here stating how difficult the exam is/was.  With proper experience in the industry, one shouldn't have much problem passing the exam.  I feel that my failures were mostly related to silly memorization things like "What are the two cybercrime laws that.... blah blah?"  Things like that.  Reference items you don't use on a daily basis.  Tools wise, theory wise, etc, I thought it was all pretty rudimentary. 

Anyway, as a little background.  I've been a computer fiend since about `86 or so.  A Commodore 64 was the first computer I owned, and have been hooked and tweaking ever since.  I entered the IT world about 11 years ago, and the past five have been spent strictly in the Security arena, mostly on the technical side.  Which is okay, I really don't want to take the CISSP. 

Anyway, hello!