Your Guide To Wireless

Sniffing Wireless Network Easily

There are several bootable Linux distributions that come prepackaged with the correct drivers and software necessary for wireless and wired network sniffing. All of these include Kismet and Ethereal or Wireshark. Below are some that are available and free: Backtrack Backtrack is the result of two highly respected bootable penetration toolsets combining their efforts toward one unified bootable CDROM. For additional information, go to www.remoteexploit.org Professional Hacker’s Linux Assault Kit (Phlack) Includes many security tools and wireless auditing and scanning software. For additional information, go to www.phlak.org. Knoppix Security Tools Distribution (Knoppix-STD) A general-purpose collection of security tools on a bootable Linux image. For additional information, go to www.s-t-d.org.

Sniffing Wireless Using Software

The proper combination of hardware, software, and drivers will enable you to effectively sniff wireless networking traffic.The following tools may be helpful: Netstumbler Netstumbler is more of a network scanner than a network sniffing tool, but is useful for listing networks detectable from your location. Netstumbler is an active network scanner that sends out probes that are detectable by others. It can be downloaded for free from www.netstumbler.org. Kismet Kismet is an open-source, ...

How To Sniff Wireless Network

From the airport, to the coffee shop, to the library, to your next door neighbor, wireless networks are all around us; therefore, wireless security is a serious concern.There are historical weaknesses in security protocols, because intruders no longer need to be inside a building to attack an internal network. A wireless network is still a network, however, and with a few exceptions maps well to the Ethernet and OSI models. Hardware Requirements While most Ethernet cards are capable of packet sniffing in promiscuous mode, many wireless chipsets cannot use monitor mode, which is the wireless equivalent of promiscuous mode. Complicating the situation is that wireless card manufacturers do not generally list the chipset that they use in a readily available form.Also, chipsets can vary within model families. It is best to select the software you want to use, and then identify which chipsets and specific manufacturer’s model numbers work best with the specific drivers necessary for the software to function. Here are some general guidelines on chipset compatibility: Atheros This chipset is compatible with most software and widely available in a number of adapters. Prism2 This chipset is one of the most capable used with the Host AP drivers. Not only is it supported by most software, it can also run in an AP mode. Orinoco One of the first chipsets that supported monitor mode. Supported by most software. Cannot receive 802.11g traffic. Broadcom There is no native support in Linux for this chipset. With included drivers, tools such as Kismet do not function with it.You may be able to use Windows drivers through a Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS) compatibility wrapper such as the commercial DriverLoader, which can be downloaded from www.linuxant.com/driverloader.

802.11 Defense

A few years ago deploying a secure wireless network was a real challenge. The closest thing to a standard you could hope to use was some sort of dynamically keyed WEP scheme. If that wasn't enough (and it probably wasn't), then you had to go to a totally proprietary solution. These solutions offered much higher levels of protection, but at the price of total vendor dependence and a dubious upgrade path to standards compliance. Today things are much easier; the proliferation of WPA support acr...

Advances In Wireless Security

All is not bleak, however. With the advent of many wireless attack methods, means to counter the attacks and reduce exposure are also available. The evolution of wireless security continues in a cycle IT professionals will recognize from wired network security-a game of cat and mouse. As new weaknesses are found in wireless networks and protocols, new methods and designs are put into place to address them. One of the first efforts at securing 802.11 networks was WEP. The use of RC4 with 40-bi...

Wireless Home Security Sytems Equal Power and Control

By: Sam Ellis With all of the different home security system services out there, it can be hard to tell if you should have a wireless home security system, hardwired system, or a gadget that has been newly placed on the market. The goal is to stay one step ahead of any potential predators while keeping an affordable means of home security and choosing from masses of options. Recently, the best in home security has seemed to be the wireless home security system. Protecting your home from poten...

Wireless Security Basic Guide

Many people go to the trouble of setting up a wireless home network but don’t secure it. This means any neighbour or passer-by in the street with a wireless laptop can find and access your home network. If you’re feeling generous you can leave it unsecured for your neighbours to use. But if you’re using a broadband service with usage limits, letting others gain access means that you may reach your monthly limit more quickly. More importantly, an unsecured network makes it easier for hackers to access your computer. There are five simple steps to get basic security on your wireless home network: Buy a Router with a Built-in Firewall A firewall monitors traffic flowing from the Internet to your home network. Check the product specifications of your router to see if it has a built-in firewall. Alternatively you can install a firewall on each of the computers in your home network. Change the SSID Your router will have its own default name (SSID). Hackers know what default manufacturer settings are, so you need to change the SSID to prevent them gaining access. Disable the SSID Broadcast An SSID broadcast sends a signal to nearby computers to tell them you have a wireless network, so it is important to switch it off to keep your network hidden. Change Your Router’s User Name and Password On your router set-up page it will also have a default user name and password. Hackers know the default user names and passwords. Enable WEP Security WEP stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy and you can ask Windows XP to automatically turn it on. It encrypts your wireless broadband signal to prevent anyone snooping on it.