WiFi Hacking: Aircrack-ng Tutorial in Kali Linux


 

WiFi hacking is an interesting area of interest for everyone who is interested in keeping up with modern cybersecurity or for amateur ethical hackers. In this tutorial, we will look at Aircrack-ng, one of the software widely used for cracking WiFi networks. As a ready-made platform for ethical hacking as well as penetration testing, Kali Linux provides all tools required for initial steps. Now let us go through wifi hacking using Aircrack-ng in detail Starting with the first step.


Disclaimer

This guide is for informational purpose only. Any unauthorised access to networks is prohibited and such activities attract legal sanctions. You should also request the permission from the owner of the network on which you are going to perform these tests on.


What is Aircrack-ng?

Aircrack-ng is a complete suite of tools used to:


Method to analyze WiFi Networks and to capture packets in WiFi Networks.

Packets are to be injected to develop network traffic.

Decrypt with captured handshake data the WEP, WPA, and WPA2 encryption types.

Use WiFi for penetration test and security audit to assess the security of wireless LANs.

Wondering that WiFi Hacking has some pre-requisites?

You should have Kali Linux on your computer (or through virtual machine with USB functionality).

WiFi adapter which supports monitor mode and packet injection; Alfa AWUS036NHA.

A basic understanding to commands that run on Linux OS as well as basic understanding of networks.

It takes time depending on the strength of the network and the type of encryption used I would advise patience during this process.

WiFi Exploitation Through an Aircrack-ng Tool: A Tutorial

Alright, let’s take a brief of how to entire process in order to obtain the WPA2 handshake, and proceed to crack the WiFi password undergo a process of brute force.


Step 1: How to initialise your WiFi Adapter for monitor mode

First, you have to set the WiFi adapter to monitor mode, so it can capture any WiFi traffic before capturing packets.



sudo airmon-ng start wlan0


wlan0: In its place, use the name of your WiFi adapter. To identify it use the ifconfig command.

This particular command provides a new interface in monitor mode; commonly this is wlan0mon.

Monitor Mode Checks

iwconfig

Step 2: Check Available Networks

Discover WiFi networks around with the following command.

sudo airodump-ng wlan0mon

List all WiFi Networks:$ nmcli device wifi list

TheBSSID (MAC address of the AP).

Band: the network band that it works on CH: channel in which the network operates

WPA2/WEP/etc.encryption fashion

Signal strength

Note:- Select BSSID & Channel of the network which is your target to crack

Step 3: Sniff Packets From Target Network

Now you will have to capture the WPA handshake of your target WiFi network. You just need to specify the BSSID and Channel of the network.


sudo airodump-ng --bssid --channel --write capture wlan0mon

Substitute for the MAC address of the target router.

For use the channel number.

The packets will be stored in a file capture-01. cap.

Step 4: Deauthenticate Clients and Capture Handshake

For this, we will need to make a client reconnect again with WiFi in order for us to capture the WPA handshake. If we can get a client to reconnect back onto the network, then there are enough deauthentication attacks available that will disconnect any clients connected where you can sniff their handshake.


sudo aireplay-ng --deauth 10 -a wlan0mon

10: DEAUTH packets sent

Target MAC address of router

You will capture “WPA Handshake” start hacking now.

Step 5: Crack the Captured Handshake using Aircrack-ng

You can view the captured handshake in capture-01. cap file. So now, can we brute force it with a dictionary? You just need a wordlist with possible passwords (e. g., rockyou. list). txt).


sudo aircrack-ng -w /path/to/wordlist. txt -b capture-01.txt cap

Replace /path/to/wordlist. txt your path of the wordlist.

& MAC address of the router

Aircrack-ng will proceed by iterating through the wordlist trying with each password it finds, if any matches against the captured handshake.

Step 6: Analyze the Results

As soon as the password is found, Aircrack-ng shows it on screen for you to use the network. If not you may have to use a larger wordlist or actually crack with some more advanced methods (rainbow tables, GPU based cracking tools etc).


 Advanced tips for WPA/WPA2 network authentication


  • Use better passwords: Tools like Crunch can generate targeted passwords.
  • Rainbow Tables: Pre-computed hash tables break quickly. But it requires a large parking lot.
  • GPU Acceleration: Use Hashcat with a powerful GPU for faster cracking.
  • John the Ripper: Another cracking tool that supports splitting multiple objects.


How to secure your WiFi network from attacks


1.Use strong passwords: Avoid passwords that use dictionaries.

2. Introduction to WPA3 encryption: It is now ubiquitous and provides excellent security.

3. Disable WPS: This feature can be used without any problems.

4. Use MAC address filtering: Only precise devices are allowed to be attached.

5. Monitor your network: Use tools like Wireshark for unusual results.


Learning WiFi hacking with Aircrack-ng in Kali Linux can improve your skills as an ethical hacker or security enthusiast. This guide gives you a solid foundation in implementing WPA vaccination and password cracking. Be sure to hack into dungeons regularly and appreciate the privacy policy.


Let us know if you enjoyed the course or faced any difficult situations while working! Hack hack happiness!


Recommended resources

Air Crack Literature

Kalilinux official website

Download Rockyou Dictionary


This blog covers the basics of WiFi hacking, making it a good guide for newcomers wanting to use Aircrack-ng if you have any questions or problems.


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