Warzapping

Warzapping is the act of searching for remote disable features in electronics or computing devices, GeneRally while in motion, using a portable computer or PDA.

Etymology

Warzapping was named after the term wardialing from the 1983 film WarGames, which involved searching for computer systems with software that dialed numbers sequentially to see which ones were connected to a fax machine or computer.

Legal and ethical considerations

Warzapping itself, much like Wardriving is not inherently illegal or dangerous, however it does have the potential to be both. Devices such as laptops and vehicles have begun to ship with features that allow them to be rendered unusable, data to be deleted, and other similar acts. If a disabling device were activated in an unauthorized manner, the consequences could potentially be severe.

At this point, unlike Wardriving no software or techniques are publicly available to enable Warzapping by CASUAL computer users. It is predicted that, with the rise in popularity of remote disabling devices, this is not a state that will last for much longer.