People willing to exploit insecure sites may be able to scan faster - legality is a different issue. http://census2012.sourceforge.net/paper.html http://census

People willing to exploit insecure sites may be able to scan faster - legality is a different issue. http://census2012.sourceforge.net/paper.html http://census2012.sourceforge.net/paper.html Starting with one device and assuming a scan speed of ten IP addresses per second, it [the scanner] should find the next open device within one hour. The scan rate would be doubled if we deployed a scanner to the newly found device. ... We did this in the least invasive way possible .... I wonder if/when attaching a widely accessible and easily exploitable device will be considered illegal (attractive nuisance, negligence, public nuisance, contribution to a crime)? To leap to a car analogy, if a driver leaves the keys in a vehicle ignition, and the vehicle is stolen and used to commit some other crime, does the driver face criminal penalties or civil liability? Should a computer vendor or user who neglects to secure their systems or network face penalties or liability? Should external entities do wide scans to encourage better security? I think that a "name and shame" approach aimed at vendors who ship or install insecure-by-default systems could be effective.