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I've encountered a strange thing. I connected to an open Wi-Fi, then I was just fooling around. First, I visited 192.168.0.1 and it was a router configuration page but default password didn't work.

Then I navigated to 192.186.1.1 and I saw the configurator of a completely different router that isn't even on this network. The SSID is different and encrypted with WPA2-PSK. The default username and password (admin/admin) worked.

How come I managed to connect to it? How can I notify the owner? Is it illegal?

Here's a screenshot: router config page

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2 Answers 2

Reset to default
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Do a tracert, you're connected because those two routers are probably routing between each other. The moment you logged in your crossed the line of legality. So yes it's illegal. You find the owner by asking around who set up the AP's.

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  • As long as you've already crossed the line of legality, you may (or may not, depending on your personal feelings on the matter) want to try snooping around the various config pages to see if there's any identifying information. I once did this to an AP near my house and, with the help of the data gathered there and Google, was able to figure out that the network was across the street and two doors down.
    – Iszi
    Commented Apr 18, 2012 at 11:53
  • Hmm, all i managed to find is names of two owners, and they have iPads too :D also a TV :D
    – Nikoloz Shvelidze
    Commented Apr 18, 2012 at 13:34
  • @shvelo It sounds like you now know who you need to notify. I suggest you let them know of the vulnerability, and that you would be willing to assist them in correcting it. Until you've done that though, get off their network.
    – Iszi
    Commented Apr 18, 2012 at 14:37
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Its easy to configure a network with two routers with different entry point (SSID), One of the routers is connected to the WAN may be here the 192.168.0.1 and the other is configured with 192.168.0.1 as a default gateway, so when you connect to one of them you can access to both interface.

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  • Strictly speaking, this should not work in an otherwise default configuration. The 192.168.1.1 router would have to be configured to allow access to its admin page from the outside.
    – Iszi
    Commented Apr 18, 2012 at 11:55
  • But there is no outside and inside here this there are in the same network.
    – Anis H
    Commented Apr 18, 2012 at 12:03
  • Not if they're configured with the default /24 subnet mask, they're not. However, there is the possibility that the systems are connected in a reverse order from the one we were presuming. I was presuming that 192.168.1.1 was connected to one of 192.168.0.1's LAN ports via the former's Internet or WAN port. It could be exactly the opposite, if the former is the one that is directly connected to the Internet, in which case this scenario makes more sense.
    – Iszi
    Commented Apr 18, 2012 at 14:34

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