To think friend was being a bit tight over internet password

[CadgingCarol]

Name changed as I'm an over sharer.
Anyway I had some issues with paying my internet account recently basically direct debit hadn't come out and I'd been cut off long story!

I was stuck at home on my own with the kids, my older dc was going on and on and on about internet being cut off stress. I thought I'll ring up and pay to get it back on etc but realised I couldn't transfer the money as no internet! My phone internet wouldn't work either.
I thought shit, I messaged my friend who lives close and I'm a round about way asked her if I could borrow her internet password to get things sorted,
Her reply was "sorry I don't want to give it out" now we've been friends for over 4 years have each other kids do stuff etc etc so I was quite shocked at her response. It's basically saying she doesn't trust me isn't it?
Yes the internet being back on wasn't urgent but I still needed it back on ASAP. I wouldn't have given a second thought to giving a "friend" the password so aibu to think she isn't really a friend as she didn't help me out when I was in the shit?

"How can anyone be so lax with their security? How?!"

OK. Please explain to me in words of one syllable as if to a bear of very little brain how other people knowing my wifi password will compromise my security. Because if I've missed something I'm in deep shit- practically everyone who's ever entered my house has our password....

Quite an interesting discussion of that ][https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/109557/what-are-the-security-implications-if-someone-got-my-home-wifi-network-password here]].

Argh, I mean here

Are you sure she has unlimited internet access? I can only afford so many gb (or whatever) a month from BT (also rural). I couldn't afford to give the password out as I would go over the allocated amount and I can't afford to.

AIBU to tell you all if you have not changed the admin password on your router then every single one of you can be hacked in two mins regardless of your Wi-Fi password

Short of breaking in to your house, how can a hacker get the Admin password?

If people can connect to your wifi, technically they could get access to passwords you use and stuff, depending how much they know about wifi and that. Its why public connections are so vulnerable and you should never use open wifi to pay bills and stuff.

Thanks sinceyouask, that was a useful discussion. It seems to come down to whether or not you trust the person you're giving your password to - although I would say that even if you don't particularly trust them, unless you know that they're really tech savvy there's not much chance of them knowing how to hack into your documents etc so it doesn't really matter, to me at least.

I think I'll just keep sharing with my friends, I trust them not to download child abuse, or plan a terrorism attack using my wifi, and I know none of them would have a clue how to hack my computer let alone the time to do it for that matter

If you think there is absolutely nothing wrong with giving out your password to anyone who wants it, and thus losing control of who has it and who doesn't, why have a password on it at all?

For the love of fucking holy hell.

What is WRONG with people?

'Ooooh but whyyyy should I not give my wifi password to the world and his husband, and the milkman, and Dave from No 6, and Steve and Cath from the farmhouse?' And 'I trust my aunt fanny implicitly with my internet banking details and PIN to my debit card.!'

@BertrandRussell and everyone else with the bizarre belief that no harm can come from giving away internet passwords and so on..

READ THIS!

security.stackexchange.com/questions/109557/what-are-the-security-implications-if-someone-got-my-home-wifi-network-password%20here

And please please please start being more savvy with your internet and banking security.

As a few people have said, no wonder so many people get scammed. I have never seen such hideously lackadaisical attitudes in my LIFE. I am literally face-palming reading some of the posts on this thread.

I'm more than happy for family and friends to use my Wi-Fi password when they're in my house. There's absolutely no way I'd give it to someone who can access my Wi-Fi from their house

You sound like a bit of a CF but if I was your friend I would create a guest network or give you the password while you sorted it out then changed the password after you had sorted it/ had adequate time to sort everything. I'm a bit of a grinch with my netflix password too!
I let my new neighbours use my wifi while they were waiting to be connected but we knew them before and knew they weren't CF!

"'m a bit of a grinch with my netflix password too!"

Why?

@BertandRussell

WHY? (are you a grinch with your netflix password.)

Because it's hers, she pays for it, and she is entitled to be a grinch with her netflix! Why the hell should she shell out her hard earned cash, for others to have the service for free?!

Some people are just unbelievable!

It's because of people like you and the OP (and the posters supporting her,) that people BECOME 'stingy' and tight. Because they get sick of freeloaders taking the piss.

"It's because of people like you and the OP (and the posters supporting her,) that people BECOME 'stingy' and tight. Because they get sick of freeloaders taking the piss."

Wrong about me anyway. I'm in the "here's the wifi password/would you like to use my Netflix/Audible/Amazon Prime account" camp. It doesn't cost me any more if someone else uses it!

I also don't mind giving lifts and qua another thread cheerfully lend/borrow stuff with my neighbours. Usually washing up liquid, actually.

Ultimately it will cost you more, Bertrand. If the likes of Amazon and Netflix find their products being randomly shared and their income decreasing, it's inevitable that they'll put prices up.

If you think there is absolutely nothing wrong with giving out your password to anyone who wants it, and thus losing control of who has it and who doesn't, why have a password on it at all?

Because I don't have a choice? Seriously though, because I trust the people I'm giving it to? Naive? Maybe, but that's the way I am and I've got to 45 without it causing trouble for me so I think I'll just keep being me.

Bingbongnoise I have read that, as I said above, but I still think that the risk is minuscule. This was the top rated answer to "what are the risks" (for anyone who hasn't read it) and so presumably the most accurate answer:

Giving the WiFi password away effectively gives full access to the local network. From there the guest might access the other computers inside the same network unless they have an additional protection. The guest can also try to brute force the router password, can mount man in the middle attacks with ARP or DHCP spoofing ....

Yeah, ok, well I trust my friends and family not to have a scoobies what that even means, let alone do it to me, a friend.

If we're going to quote other threads, are you a Group 3 Bertrand? You sound like one. I am too.

(please don't make me try to remember what thread that was from, my memory is shit)

I have lots of people connected to my wifi when they're round. And I have theirs.

To me, asking for the wifi password is like a new point in a friendship!

Who seriously changes the password they have for the wifi?! Mine is upper and lowercase letters with random numbers! I'm with BT and we log in with a username and password that we've set up.

If you're not going to be connected constantly, then I see no issue!

bingbongnoise

A lot of that thread is less than accurate and none of it applies actual risk analysis to a typical situation.

Wifi passwords do not give you access to their devices or servers - they have separate users and passwords.

It doesn't give you access to shared file systems unless you have made them public yourself.

It doesn't give you access to their router which again, needs a separate user and password.

Even the default set up where someone hasn't changed their router password forces a separate password for wifi.

And if you change the password regularly (which you should) they can pass it onto anyone and it doesnt matter.
Similarly if you are still worried most routers allow easy set up of a guest network.

If you are concerned about access to porn sites you can block most of them (in fact - some ISPs do this by default. If you have children the odds are you already do this via parental controls, ISP services or other software.

This reminds me of those threads where women are told not to cross the street to post a misdelivered letter whilst the children are asleep in case they get run over or a bomb drops on the house.

Its about risk analysis.

BTW since the OP said her laptop connects to her friends wifi when she is in friend's house presumably friend does give out the wifi password, OP simply didn't keep it.

Who seriously changes the password they have for the wifi?

Oh I do regularly both for home network and guest network. That much is important, as is not using the same password for everything.

I thought everyone on Mumsnet changed their wifi password to something witty. I have.

I'm guessing she thinks you want to access her wifi instead of buying your own and she might have a data plan where she pays extra if it goes over her limit.

I have no way of knowing whether that thread is accurate and C8H has indicated it isn't anyway.

You can't access illegal materials on my wifi. Like most everyday internet suppliers, virgin media won't allow me to download child porn or order illegal drugs. You'd have to have quite some skillz to manage that.

since the OP said her laptop connects to her friends wifi when she is in friend's house presumably friend does give out the wifi password, OP simply didn't keep it.

If her laptop connects automatically to her friend's wifi when she is in the friend's house then it would connect to it in her own house. No need for the password again.

I can't find where she said that though.