Wi-Fi Hacking
Wi-Fi & Wireless Networking
📶 WI-FI BASICS
🌐 What is Wi-Fi?
Wi-Fi is a wireless networking technology that allows devices to communicate using radio waves without physical cables.
- Uses wireless frequencies such as 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz
- Supports standards like 802.11n, 802.11ac, and 802.11ax
- Provides internet and local network connectivity
Wi-Fi enables devices such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, and IoT systems to communicate wirelessly.
🔑 Key Wi-Fi Terms
SSID
Name of the wireless network.
Example: Home_WiFi
BSSID
Unique MAC address of the Access Point.
Example: 00:11:22:33:44:55
MAC Address
Hardware identifier assigned to a device.
Example: A4:6E:F4:11:22:33
DHCP
Automatically assigns IP address, gateway, and DNS settings.
Access Point (AP)
Wireless device that broadcasts Wi-Fi and manages client connections.
⚙ How Wi-Fi Works
1️⃣ Broadcasting
The Access Point broadcasts SSID, BSSID, channel information, and security settings.
2️⃣ Network Discovery
Nearby devices detect available wireless networks and display them to users.
3️⃣ Authentication
The device verifies credentials such as passwords with the Access Point.
4️⃣ Association
After successful authentication, the device connects to the wireless network.
5️⃣ IP Assignment
DHCP automatically assigns IP configuration such as IP address and DNS.
6️⃣ Data Communication
Devices exchange packets wirelessly to access network resources and the internet.
🧠 Important Notes
- Modern Wi-Fi standards provide faster speeds and improved efficiency.
- 5 GHz and 6 GHz networks are generally faster but have shorter range.
- 2.4 GHz offers wider coverage but may experience more interference.
- Strong passwords and WPA2/WPA3 encryption improve wireless security.
Which protocol assigns IP addresses automatically?
Wi-Fi uses radio signals for communication.
Which frequency is commonly used in Wi-Fi ?
SSID is the password of the router .
What uniquely identifies a wireless device ?
BSSID identifies a wireless access point.
Which device broadcasts Wi-Fi signals ?
What does SSID stand for ?
Wireless Security & Encryption
📶 Wireless Encryption
- Protects Wi-Fi traffic from unauthorized access.
〶 Types of Wireless Encryption
🟃 WEP
Weak, outdated, easily hackable.
🟃 WPA
Better than WEP, uses TKIP, still vulnerable.
🟃 WPA2
Common, AES encryption, strong authentication.
🟃 WPA3
Latest, stronger encryption, better privacy.
⌬ Authentication Methods
🞚 Open
No password, high risk.
🞚 PSK
Password-based (home/small office).
🞚 Enterprise
Centralized authentication (RADIUS), used in large networks.
Which authentication is used in organizations?
WPA3 is more secure than WEP.
Which encryption is used in WPA2?
WEP is considered secure today.
Which protocol uses stronger modern security ?
Open authentication requires no password.
What does PSK stand for?
Which protocol is outdated and insecure?
Wi-Fi Hacking Practical Lab
Download the attached wireless capture files and analyze them to investigate a WPA-protected Wi-Fi network. Identify the network details, examine the EAPOL handshake, crack the Wi-Fi password using Aircrack-ng, and answer all the challenge questions.
Which tool was used to crack the Wi-Fi password?
Which encryption type was detected in the capture?
What is the ESSID of the target network?
Which handshake type is shown in the output?
Which attack type was performed using the wordlist?
Which value of BSSID ?
Which file extension stores wireless packet captures?
Which password was successfully cracked?
Wifi Attacks
⚔️ Wi-Fi Attacks
Common wireless attack techniques used in security assessments
Common Wireless Attacks
Deauthentication Attack
Disconnects clients to capture handshake packets for offline cracking.
Evil Twin
Fake AP mimicking a legitimate network to steal credentials and sessions.
Handshake Capture
Capture WPA/WPA2 4-way handshake for offline password cracking.
Brute Force Attack
Try all possible password combinations until the correct one is found.
Dictionary Attack
Use precompiled wordlists (rockyou.txt, SecLists) to guess passwords.
MAC Spoofing
Change MAC address to bypass MAC filters or hide device identity.
Packet Sniffing
Capture and analyze network traffic to extract sensitive information.
Denial of Service (DoS)
Flood network with packets to disrupt or disable wireless services.
Which attack uses wordlists for passwords?
MAC spoofing changes the router password.
Which attack creates a fake wireless network?
Packet sniffing captures network traffic.
Which tool is used for packet analysis?
Deauthentication attacks disconnect users from Wi-Fi.
Which attack floods the network traffic?
Which attack captures WPA handshakes?
Wireless Security Tools & Defenses
🔧 Security Testing Tools
Professional tools for wireless security assessment and cracking
Security Testing Tools
Industry standard tools • ethical use only
Aircrack-ng Suite
Monitoring, packet capture, attacks (Airmon, Airodump, Aireplay, Aircrack).
Wireshark
Analyze packets, protocols, and traffic.
Kismet
Monitor Wi-Fi, detect hidden SSIDs, intrusion detection.
Hashcat
Offline password cracking & auditing.
Reaver
WPS PIN testing.
Best Practices
Protect your network • security recommendations
Which tool detects hidden SSIDs?
Which protocol should be avoided?
Firmware updates improve router security.
Which tool performs password cracking?
WPS is considered completely secure.
Which security feature should be disabled?
Aircrack-ng is used for wireless auditing.
Which tool captures wireless packets?