How to crack/hack wireless networks?
Cracking WEP/WPA keys is essentially what we mean when we talk about breaking into wireless networks. You can either reset your router or break into your wireless network if you've forgotten your Wi-Fi password.
For cracking or hacking, you'll need hardware and software resources, as well as patience. Backtrack, a Linux-based security operating system, can be used to run attacks, gather data, and evaluate Wi-Fi vulnerabilities.
The following tools are available in Backtrack:
- Metasploit
- Wireshark
- Aircrack-ng
- Nmap
- Ophcrack
How Hackers Hack Wi-Fi
Sniffing
Hackers can connect to a public WiFi network in a number of methods, then penetrate connected devices to steal data. Sniffing is the method that hackers utilize the most frequently. This technique enables hackers to intercept any data packet that is being sent between a device and a router.
Once the packet has been taken over, the hacker downloads it to their device and attempts to interpret it using brute force techniques. Sniffing is a simple operation thanks to the abundance of software that is readily available online.
The process of sniffing a packet and decoding it to get valuable information is speedy; the previous instance took only about ten minutes.
Spoofing
You may have observed that your laptop or smartphone automatically connects to networks to which they have previously been connected. Our devices help us establish the connection automatically by remembering past connection logs. This feature, intended to make things easier for consumers, can be cleverly yet easily exploited by hackers.
A hacker only needs to build up a new network with stronger signals in order to impersonate devices. Additionally, he must employ the identical SSID as the genuine router. This makes PCs and other devices connect to the newly installed Wi-Fi router automatically, allowing the hacker to keep an eye on all incoming and outgoing traffic.
Wardriving
Wardriving, also known as access point mapping, is the practice of detecting and using wireless local area networks while operating a motor vehicle. In order to accomplish this, hackers need to have a laptop, a wireless Ethernet card, and an antenna to amplify the signal.
Most of the time, wireless networks of businesses emit signals both inside and outside of the office building. Hackers may be able to intercept these signals and utilize them to break into the organization's network.
Once completed, a hacker might have access to the public internet, business documents, and other private organizational data. Unexpectedly, major corporations like Google have also been charged with wardriving. Google claims, however, that it has never made use of the information gathered throughout the process.
Encryption Cracking
It makes sense for us to secure a router with a strong password and assume that all of our communications are encrypted and safe from hackers. That is accurate. Routers do encrypt all of the data they deliver, and when they receive it, they decrypt it using the decryption key.
Most Wi-Fi routers currently support the three security protocols WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access), and WPA2 for protecting wireless networks (Wi-Fi Protected Access II).
Weaknesses in WEP and WPA, two fundamental alternatives for encrypting your wireless communication, can be easily exploited by cybercriminals. WPA2 .
Although nowadays' hackers are far too intelligent, even WPA2 is easily crackable with the aid of tools and software. The encryption used by a Wi-Fi router can be broken in a variety of ways by the bad guys.
For instance, in an effort to decrypt the router's decryption key, hackers may use brute force. Although the procedure can be time-consuming, it typically works. Despite being a new and enhanced security standard for securing wireless connections, WPA3 (Wi-Fi Protected Access III) is still projected to take some time to gain universal acceptance.