Open wireless hotspots are becoming more and more ubiquitous as modern life demands 24/7 internet access. Pub and coffee shops fill this niche, however, sometimes malignant users can turn dreams into nightmares
This article recently posted in The Guardian newspaper highlights the risks with running an open hotspot
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2009/nov/27/pub-file-sharing-c...
 
Luckily, Hi-Grade Solutions have fitted their core customers networks with a powerful, stateful packet filtering appliance, which all but eliminates the need for network monitoring. Our solution, built upon the powerful iptables Linux implementation, is able to deep inspect packets on the Layer 7 OSI level. This goes beyong traditional port blocking by inspecting the actual contents of the ip packet and using heuristics to determine the type of packet.
This way, we are able to effectively block the following protocols, on demand, and stop file-sharing dead in its tracks.
Protocols we can filter and block include, but are not limited to
- bittorrent
- gnutella
- directconnect
- imesh
- pcanywhere
- shoutcast
- sip
- skypeout
and many many more.
 
If you are running an open hotspot as a business aid, seriously consider what your customers are up to using your resources. Under current UK law you will be held liable. Monitoring of internet traffic content is still a gray area, but blocking on the protocol level is most definitely allowed and should be taken seriously to prevent costly litigation.
 
Our solution will be tailor made to your current network, and can be up and running within a day, without inconveniencing any customers. Peace of mind does come at a cost, but with Hi-Grade Solutions firewall appliance it finally reaches affordability for all.