Can I trust a wireless signal?

if you don't have a wireless router yourself then your laptop is simply picking up wireless networks in your vicinity.

You don't have to connect to any of them!

First note that connecting to a wireless network which is not your own and for which you do not have permission is illegal (considered stealing).  Nevertheless, to protect yourself, make sure that File and Printer Sharing is turned off on your wireless card network properties and make sure you are running a strong firewall.

Steve

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@volcano11 wrote:

First note that connecting to a wireless network which is not your own and for which you do not have permission is illegal (considered stealing). Nevertheless, to protect yourself, make sure that File and Printer Sharing is turned off on your wireless card network properties and make sure you are running a strong firewall.

Steve

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Right now, whether freeloading from a fully open AP is illegal or not is a matter of much debate. As far as anyone can tell it's not actually illegal except in some areas where new laws have been passed banning it. Breaking into an encrypted AP is almost surely illegal though.

Illegal or not, it IS wrong and there's nothing guaranteeing that the AP hasn't been left open specifically to attack people's machines or that the owner won't take some sort of action against you - see http://www.ex-parrot.com/~pete/upside-down-ternet.html

In short, don't freeload without permission because legal or not, it's wrong and untrustable.