TTC: Other Items (catch all)

[nfitz]

May I ask why does anyone care about using wifi in the subway stations? How much web browsing can you possibly pull off within the minute or two before the train arrives?

While the train is pulling in and out of a WiFi station, I've normally got enough time to refresh my twitter feed, send a queued email, and check when the bus will be leaving the subway stop I'm heading to.

 

[Napoleon]

I had to wait 15 minutes for the streetcar at Union the other day

The 510 has been really weird lately in fleet management. It seems that they have one Flexity going to Union, one Flexity short-turning in QQ, and one Flexity short-turning at King. These seem to kind of run in a pack with maybe one non-flexity going to Union as well. I ended up having to walk to King the other day from Harbourfront as no northbound 510 was coming for 20 minutes.

 

[PinkLucy]

^^^ 509 as well. There will be two that arrive at Union within a minute or two of each other and then it's a 10-15 minute wait for the next one. I never used to have to wait much more than 5 minutes.

 

[salsa]

I had to wait 15 minutes for the streetcar at Union the other day

If the wifi can reach that far then I guess there is some use for it.

While the train is pulling in and out of a WiFi station, I've normally got enough time to refresh my twitter feed, send a queued email, and check when the bus will be leaving the subway stop I'm heading to.

I tried to do that last year at St George. Took some time to connect for the first time, then had to sit through a 30 second video ad. By the time I could use the wifi, the train was leaving the station.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Actually, on an open wi-fi network, it is not only possible but tremendously easy to strip SSL away from any info. A friend of mine, a software engineer, was actually on a CBC segment a few years ago demonstrating this--at a public library, they had the reporter use the open wi-fi, and login (with fake data) to very-well-encrypted online banking; 10 seconds later they had her login information in text form on their laptops.

It is a common misconception that, when on unsecured wi-fi, SSL still works. It absolutely does not. Anybody standing in that subway station can, with near-zero effort, get your twitter username and password--though twitter login or not, yes, anything you enter while connected to the network has always been subject to that risk as well, I solve that by simply checking traffic and streetcar positions on the wi-fi, which I can no longer do without exposing my twitter password at these new stations.

Are you sure you understood that correctly?

Wifi is just a node for transmitting data. If what you said was true, then all the other nodes on the Internet (routers, switches, servers, etc..) would also have the capability to strip SSL encryption and to see all encrypted data being transmitted. This would obviously render SSL useless.

What I believe you saw was something called a man-in-the-middle attack. It essentially redirects internet users from legitimate websites to fraudulent clones, usually designed to harvest user logins/cookies. Note that it doesn't allow a hacker to view previously encrypted data, it just redirects you to a page where they can harvest data you provide. So as long as you know for certain that your data is properly encrypted and that your connect to a legitimate website (easier said than done for the typical user), you should be safe.

MITM attacks can happen anywhere on the web, not just on public wifi. So users must always be vigilant.

Personally, I wouldn't do anything sensitive on public wifi.

This stack overflow post covers the topic better than I can: http://security.stackexchange.com/posts/34799/edit

One more thing. A lot of web services will encrypt your password when it is transmitted but keep everything else on the session unencrypted. In this case the router can absolutely see everything you're doing but your password.

 

[nfitz]

If the wifi can reach that far then I guess there is some use for it.

There's a spot on the new platform, where you can be in the subway train, and see the streetcar sitting on the platform. So I assume there's a spot where you can get the wifi and see the streetcar, even if they didn't put anything on the streetcar platform (though I'd assume they would have).

I tried to do that last year at St George. Took some time to connect for the first time, then had to sit through a 30 second video ad. By the time I could use the wifi, the train was leaving the station.

Yeah, typically for the first station; but then at Bay you could usually do a lot better the second time. And then it lingers in Yonge for a bit.

In 2017, they should have it in the tunnels too.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Are you sure you understood that correctly?

Wifi is just a node for transmitting data. If what you said was true, then all the other nodes on the Internet (routers, switches, servers, etc..) would also have the capability to strip SSL encryption and to see all encrypted data being transmitted. This would obviously render SSL useless.

What I believe you saw was something called a man-in-the-middle attack. It essentially redirects internet users from legitimate websites to fraudulent clones, usually designed to harvest user logins/cookies. Note that it doesn't allow a hacker to view previously encrypted data, it just redirects you to a page where they can harvest data you provide. So as long as you know for certain that your data is properly encrypted and that your connect to a legitimate website (easier said than done for the typical user), you should be safe.

MITM attacks can happen anywhere on the web, not just on public wifi. So users must always be vigilant.

Personally, I wouldn't do anything sensitive on public wifi.

This stack overflow post covers the topic better than I can: http://security.stackexchange.com/posts/34799/edit

One more thing. A lot of web services will encrypt your password when it is transmitted but keep everything else on the session unencrypted. In this case the router can absolutely see everything you're doing but your password.

Admittedly the end user wouldn't really care about the technicalities of how their passwords were stolen.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

If the wifi can reach that far then I guess there is some use for it.




I tried to do that last year at St George. Took some time to connect for the first time, then had to sit through a 30 second video ad. By the time I could use the wifi, the train was leaving the station.

That's odd. I haven't seen a video ad in more than a year.

 

[salsa]

That's odd. I haven't seen a video ad in more than a year.

Which is why I made sure to mention that it was at least a year ago when I tried to use the wifi at St George . Things might have changed since then, with this whole twitter nonsense now being the latest annoyance.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Which is why I made sure to mention that it was at least a year ago when I tried to use the wifi at St George . Things might have changed since then, with this whole twitter nonsense now being the latest annoyance.

Note to self: Words mean things.

 

[PinkLucy]

That's odd. I haven't seen a video ad in more than a year.

Me either. (And I should have finished reading all the posts before replying to that, haha)

And the wifi does reach the streetcar platform at Union.

 

[salsa]

As part of the TTC's second exits and accessibility improvements, five stations will be getting art installations.


St Clair West - bronze snails

Ossington - particles

Royal York - stainless steel outlines of wildlife

Wellesley - mosaics

Coxwell - mirrors

http://www.metronews.ca/news/toront...rhaul-coming-to-five-ttc-subway-stations.html

 

[Megaton327]

Me either. (And I should have finished reading all the posts before replying to that, haha)

And the wifi does reach the streetcar platform at Union.

They actually have one wi-fi/cell router on the streetcar platform itself, thankfully.

 

[cplchanb]

As part of the TTC's second exits and accessibility improvements, five stations will be getting art installations.



http://www.metronews.ca/news/toront...rhaul-coming-to-five-ttc-subway-stations.html

And here they are saying that they are running short on money...while at the same time wasting it on these. Couldve been better spent offsetting presto faregate installation or WiFi

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

There's a spot on the new platform, where you can be in the subway train, and see the streetcar sitting on the platform. So I assume there's a spot where you can get the wifi and see the streetcar, even if they didn't put anything on the streetcar platform (though I'd assume they would have).

there are two of the wifi repeaters on the streetcar platform