wardriven

Wardriven is a term used to describe information, observations, or datasets that have been gathered through wardriving—the practice of moving through a geographic area with a wireless-enabled device to detect and catalog wireless networks. The word functions as an adjective or noun, with wardriven data referring to the results of such scanning rather than the act itself.

Wardriving involves collecting signals from wireless access points as a vehicle or person travels through streets or neighborhoods. Typical wardriven data include the network name (SSID), the physical identifier of the access point (BSSID), estimated signal strength, radio channel, and encryption status. In many deployments, accompanying geolocation data and timestamps are recorded to create a spatial map of network presence. Some wardriven datasets also note whether networks are open or secured and may indicate other contextual details observed by the scanning device.

The term contrasts with wardriving in that wardriving denotes the activity, while wardriven describes the results. Wardriven data are often used in security research, urban studies, or demonstrations of wireless network prevalence and topology. They may support analyses of security practices, such as the distribution of open versus encrypted networks, or the density of access points in a given area.

Ethical and legal considerations are important in wardriven work. Passive detection of beacon frames is generally less invasive than traffic interception, but collecting data related to identifiable networks or locations can raise privacy concerns and may be subject to legal restrictions depending on jurisdiction. Responsible use typically involves anonymization, adherence to local laws, and avoidance of unauthorized access.