"WarDriving" as a concept is frequently misunderstood in the mainstream press, frequently reported as a shadowy, illegitimate forum for hackers who have nothing better to do than search for unprotected wireless access points so that they can penetrate poorly protected networks without consent. WarDriving: Drive, Detect, Defend by Chris Hurley - which bills itself as "a guide to wireless security" - wants to set the record straight.

I must admit that when I first set eyes on the book and saw the review blurb emblazoned across the back cover that this book was the "Kama Sutra" of wardriving, I almost laughed. I mean, it seemed so transparently "PC" to me that rather than refer to something as "the Bible" of wardriving, somebody would go out of their way to pull a concept from some other cultural tradition - and then, that they would decide to use a catalog of sexual positions to do it?

But there is perhaps a method to the madness, because WarDriving is indeed a catalog of information and position, carefully detailing the best ways to go about the chosen activities. And for many, there is a real attraction to WarDriving (whether it truly can, or should, be equated to sex is something I'll leave to others, although I can only say that for me it holds little of the same level of attraction).

Part of WarDriving is intended to defend the concept from the uniformed (but curious) who would consider the activity automatically illegitimate. Hurley dismisses much of the media frenzy about WarDriving as "misconceptions," and says that "WarDriving does NOT utilize the resources of any wireless point or network that is discovered without prior authorization of the owner." In his mind at least, the concept is limited to simply locating or mapping wireless access points in a given geographic area, and does not involve actually accessing the networks serviced by those access points. His goal is to present the "methodology" for people to "ethicially" WarDrive (essentially, as what one might consider to be an "ultimate geek" sort of hobby). The first part of the book focuses on the equipment and software necessary so that you too can roam the neighborhood looking for wireless access points (all in an effort to benefit society by educating people about the "insecurities associated with wireless networking," of course).