NetStumbler v0.4 Released

mindless4210 writes "A new version of the popular wireless network discovery tool NetStumbler was released today. Updates include support for more wireless cards, ip address reporting, new scripting features, and several bug fixes. This is the first new release since late August of 2002, over a year and a half ago. A new version of the handheld version, MiniStumbler, is also available for download."

Comments

Awesome.

[mtrisk]

Score one for using your neighbor's bandwith.

Release notes (in case the server goes bye bye)

[Anonymous Coward]

NetStumbler v0.4.0 Release Notes

Marius Milner

Thank you for your interest in NetStumbler. It is provided to you as a convenience, at no cost and without warranty. If you don't like it, or if you feel that it doesn't quite do what you want, you are free to delete it from your system. By installing or using it, you agree to be bound by the terms of the License Agreement.

NetStumbler is "beggarware". This means that you do not have to pay for a license to use it. However if you use it and like it, please consider making a donation at http://www.stumbler.net/donate to support future development, web hosting and other costs that I incur as a result of making this software available to you. Please bear in mind that I do this as a hobby in my spare time, not as a full time job.

Commercial and Government users are strongly encouraged to donate. The suggested donation is US$50 per copy. You may donate by visiting the web site http://www.stumbler.net/donate. You can pay in a variety of ways and may send a Purchase Order if needed.
What is NetStumbler?

NetStumbler is a tool for Windows that allows you to detect Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) using 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g. It has many uses:

* Verify that your network is set up the way you intended.
* Find locations with poor coverage in your WLAN.
* Detect other networks that may be causing interference on your network.
* Detect unauthorized "rogue" access points in your workplace.
* Help aim directional antennas for long-haul WLAN links.
* Use it recreationally for WarDriving.

Requirements
General Requirements

The requirements for NetStumbler are somewhat complex and depend on hardware, firmware versions, driver versions and operating system. The best way to see if it works on your system is to try it.

Some configurations have been extensively tested and are known to work. These are detailed at http://www.stumbler.net/compat. If your configuration works but is not listed, or is listed but does not work, please follow the instructions on the web site.

The following are rules of thumb that you can follow in case you cannot reach the web site for some reason.

* This version of NetStumbler requires Windows 2000, Windows XP, or better.
* The Proxim models 8410-WD and 8420-WD are known to work. The 8410-WD has also been sold as the Dell TrueMobile 1150, Compaq WL110, Avaya Wireless 802.11b PC Card, and others.
* Most cards based on the Intersil Prism/Prism2 chip set also work.
* Most 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g wireless LAN adapters should work on Windows XP. Some may work on Windows 2000 too. Many of them report inaccurate Signal strength, and if using the "NDIS 5.1" card access method then Noise level will not be reported. This includes cards based on Atheros, Atmel, Broadcom, Cisco and Centrino chip sets.
* I cannot help you figure out what chip set is in any given card.

Firmware Requirements

If you have an old WaveLAN/IEEE card then please note that the WaveLAN firmware (version 4.X and below) does not work with NetStumbler. If your card has this version, you are advised to upgrade to the latest version available from Proxim's web site. This will also ensure compatibility with the 802.11b standard.
Other Requirements and Compatibility Issues

* Your card must be configured in such a way that it can be seen by the management software that came with the card.
* The Microsoft-provided Orinoco drivers that come with Windows 2000 do not work with NetStumbler. Please visit Windows Update or www.proxim.com and upgrade to the latest drivers.
* When NetStumbler is in "auto reconfigure" mode (the default), it will occasionally disconnect you from your network. This enables it to perform its scans accurately, and is not a bug.
* If you have the WLAN card configured to connect to a specific SSID, NetStumbler may not report any accees points other than tho

Kismet

[Noksagt]

Kismet also recently announce a new version: Kismet-2004-04-R1.

Re:Kismet

[krisp]

When you are sniffing with kismet, you are putting your card into a monitor mode, which basicly shows you everything that is going over the air. This includes the 802.11 encapsulation packets, beacon frames, probe requests, etc. When you are in monitor mode you can't be associated with an access point.

On the other hand, when you sniff with ethereal when connected to the network, you are sniffing the ethernet network, not the wireless network. It's like sniffing inside a pptp tunnel, you don't see the raw ppp frames.

Re:Kismet

[petabyte]

ethereal sniffs on the network level. So it'll soak up your tcp, udp, icmp, etc and display that. Kismet sniffs on the link level (basically the level above). You'll get the wlan traffic going back and forth but if its encrypted you'll have to wait until enough weak traffic has gone by for it to crack the wep.

Of course, if the wlan isn't wep'ed up, kismet will happily read and drop the packets to a log file just like ethereal will. Basically your hunch was right.

Re:Kismet

[mAineAc]

cool thing about this is that in monitor mode you are invisible to the networks, where as with netstumbler you can be seen on the networks.

Looks good

[Anonymous Coward]

Version 0.4.0 (April 21, 2004)

Fixed bug (introduced in 0.3.30) that caused "Reconfigure" to put ORiNOCO cards into a state where they would report no access points.
Support for Atheros, Atmel, Intersil Prism2 based wireless cards. Improved support for Cisco cards.
Allow use of Serial Earthmate GPS. (USB Earthmate should already work using NMEA and serial driver)
If you scroll all the way to the right of the graph view, it will auto-scroll new data.
Fixed bug (introduced in 0.3.30) in graph view: corrupted display when scrolling.
Fixed bug in graph view: improper scroll bar tracking with large data sets.
If "Reconfigure" is on, the Windows XP Wireless Zero Configuration service will be stopped when you start scanning. It is restarted when the application exits.
If you connect to a network that supports DHCP, the IP subnet is reported.
If the access point is discovered in the ARP table, its IP address is reported.
While you are scanning, the system will be prevented from going into standby unless power is critically low.
Large files load several times faster than before (though the really large ones still don't load fast enough).
A whole lot of new Scripting features.

Yeah but

[dj245]

When will there be a version that can integrate motion sensors to alert you that the home owner is approaching you with a shotgun?

Re:Yeah but

[DAldredge]

When they moved the 802.11 standards body to Texas. :->

For the Mac user in you..

[overbyj]

There is the new release of iStumbler. Works pretty well.

http://www.istumbler.net/

if you are like me..

[Suppafly]

and had no idea that netstumbler is..

Q. What is Netstumbler?

A. NetStumbler is a Windows tool that allows you to discover 802.11b (and 802.11a, if using Windows XP) wireless LANs. It includes GPS integration and a simple, intuitive user interface.
Though primarily targeted at owners of wireless LANs, it has been the de facto tool for casual users such as "war drivers" since 2001.

NetStumbler 0.3 won the eWeek / PC Magazine i3 award for Innovation In Infrastructure, 2002.

I find it interesting that it isn't opensource.

Re:if you are like me..

[LostCluster]

I find it interesting that it isn't opensource.

Not all programers drank the GNU/Kool-aid.

minor risk assessment

[ChipMonk]

From his weblog:

NetStumbler is not open source. Indeed it contains a lot of code that was developed under Non-Disclosure Agreements, and the source cannot be released to the general public - if I do so then several teams of lawyers will show up on my doorstep.

What about the RIAA and FBI agents showing up on our doorsteps, just for using it?

Warning: It's not easy being slashdotted...

[LostCluster]

Look at these side effects from being slashdotted so often...

Since I released NetStumbler 0.3.30, I have experienced birth, death, illness, new job, and increased bandwidth costs.

Well, at least Slashdot causes one of them. I'm pretty sure about the others too...

New Poll Idea...

[zelurxunil]

Did you respond to the last slashdot story? 1) On your internet connection 2) At a public access terminal 3) From your neighbors WiFi

New chipsets supported

[chrispl]

Ah now my cisco wifi card is finally more supported than before. It worked pretty good on the old version but netstumbler would often just shut down instantly when more than one access point were available at the same time. This new version seems to work MUCH better.

The cisco cards work great under linux and its nice to see this great app become even more useful even if it is for windows. On that topic has anyone ported NS or another active wifi scanner to linux?

Re:New chipsets supported

[g-to-the-o-to-the-g]

The open source kismet is a powerful alternative to NetStumbler. For those of us who don't use Windows, this is nice ;) There is also airsnort, once again for the non-windows crowd.

my regular client software can do most of this

[gelfling]

My D-link 530DWL client software on XP as well as the XP client manager for the Intel Pro wireless built into my Thinkpad can find all the LANs near my house and they will allow me to logon if they are not encrypted. It reports the LAN name and channel.

Re:my regular client software can do most of this

[ForestGrump]

But can your "regular" lan client track with a GPS and provide a comprehensive list over time?

That is the power of NS. A regular client just shows "I see this near me right now" You tell it to rescan and it updates the list, and loses all the old "finds"

NS logs them with a time and (if a GPS is avial) location you found the AP at.

-Grump

No G?

[wpiman]

Well- I guess I know which one I should install. My security for wifi- shut the WAP off when not home. X10 actually works well for this. Simply have the alarm system turn off the wap if no one is home.

Is Netstumbler detectable?

[bender647]

I recall reading in the Kismet documentation (my choice for my Zaurus) that Netstumbler use could be detected by NIDS tools... I wonder if this is still true.

Re:Is Netstumbler detectable?

[josh3736]

NetStumbler is active, not passive.

That means that instead of just listening to packets as they fly by, it actually sends out 802.11 frames to request info about any APs that will respond. So whereas you will get wireless nets that otherwise have no traffic at the moment, you won't get any that don't broadcast their SSID.

So to answer your question, yes, a NIDS tool could detect that you are sending out 802.11 frames at the rate of once a second. :)

Donationware

[hrbrmstr]

Hey folks, since we are /.'ing him and no doubt downloading NetStumbler and MiniStumbler in droves, it might be a good idea if someone could setup a torrent for it (I'm @ school @ the moment, otherwise I would) and/or click on his donation links.

While it's no Kismet, it is a solid tool and the new MiniStumbler actually does a great job on my HP iPaq with integrated WLAN.

(I'm also glad I got them yesterday [grin])

Wow. I actually read this using the neighbor's AP

[fliplap]

I'm on my neighbors AP right now.

Btw, SSID: Bartell_LTD
WEP is actually a lot more effective than people on slashdot will tell you.

Already Complaining about Options...

[Ieshan]

My internet connection IS my Neighbor's WiFi, you insensitive clod!

also..

[CoolMoDee]

for those that want passive mode (like kismet) there is Kismac. http://www.binaervarianz.de/projekte/programmieren /kismac/

Reason for not being OSS

[sglane81]

I find it interesting that it isn't opensource.

Q: Can I see the NetStumbler source code? Is it open source? Etc...
A: NetStumbler is not open source. Indeed it contains a lot of code that was developed under Non-Disclosure Agreements, and the source cannot be released to the general public - if I do so then several teams of lawyers will show up on my doorstep.

Cut the guy some slack. He writes award winning software.

Re:Apple PowerBook G4 support?

[Anonymous Coward]

Uhm, this software doesn't support your built in wireless cards (Airport) because it's a windows program.

Thinking different is fine, as long as you're *THINKING*

Re:Palm

[wolrahnaes]

NetChaser is available for the Tungsten|C.

I haven't seen anything for Sony systems or the rare (forgot which brand) PalmOS handhelds with a CF slot.

Maybe there will be more when (if?) the SDIO 802.11 drivers get released for palms /me sits and waits quietly..

Not another one...

[c0d3m4n]

Damnit... I hate these things. Everytime someone in my neighborhood finds a new app like this my commection slows to a crawl. Why can't I just get off my ass and set up WEP?

side sotry: netstumbler meets tech support person.

[r.future]

I've been working as a tech for belkin for awhile now (I know I should hate my self for that but it pays the bills) and a while ago a guy called saying that he had set up his router to...
1. NOT broadcast SSID and,
2. use a 128 bit wep key


But he was pissed off because his network was still "showing up as an available network!" After talking to the guy for a long time I figured out that he was using netstumbler (V3) and that SSID was showing up there, but no place other than that.

Because every one that I work with uses netstumbler, and war drives I asked them if there was any way to make iso stumberl coul dnot see the WAP. When I told this to the guy on my phone he freaked out hard core, and told us that we needed to take some sort of leagle action aginst the guy who invented netstumbler.

Anyway, my point is that WiFi networks + Americans who are afarid of everything + Netstumbler = one pissed off fear filled sue happy american.

sweet irony

[rtfm]

i just used my neighbor's wireless/dsl connection to download the new version :)

DSTUMBLER for those on FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD

[linuxbaby]

Should mention the incredible (and similar) dstumbler here - for those on FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD.

dstumbler is a wardriving/netstumbling/lanjacking utility for bsd operating systems that attempts to provide features similar to netstumbler in a fast and easy to use curses based application. it is part of the bsd-airtools package released by Dachb0den Labs, which provides a complete bsd based tool set for 802.11b penetration testing.

current features of dstumbler include:

• color s/n graphs
• detection of weped networks
• detects the beacon interval for aps
• detects the maximum supported rate for aps (with prism2 cards in scan mode)
• reports if the ssid of a network is default
• export/import to wi-scan'esque log format
• support for prism2 cards (without wep detection)
• interactive display of ap statistics
• intuitive navigation hotkeys
• nmea gps support
• monitor mode support for prism2 cards
• /dev/speaker audio support for reporting detected aps and nodes
• realtime logging to file (for wi-scan'esque compatibility)
• detection of weped and adhoc networks
• detection of nodes on bss networks
• detects if a bss network uses shared or keyed authentication
• detects the maximum supported rate of aps and nodes
• detects the beacon interval for aps
• detects if bss nodes are set to connect to any network or a specified one
• partial detection of 40-bit or 104-bit encryption

Download at http://www.dachb0den.com/projects/dstumbler.html (or just install it from ports!)

Re:share with your nieghbor why not :)

[Adriax]

Kinda complicated if you have to use wireless.
You'd have to get a real router (not one of those cheap broadband NATs) with 3 ethernet ports, two wireless access points and a wireless bridge. Link one port in through ethernet, another through the access point and bridge, and set those to loadbalance the traffic to the 3rd port (with NAT, and DHCP if you want). Stick the second access point off that and have double speed broadband.

Complicated and probably rather touchy, but if you really wanted to, you could. Though it'd be cheaper to just use one broadband account and pay for the combine bandwidth, and share that out.

K vs N

[MrEcho.net]

yes kismet is great and alot better then netstumbler.
but you have to think about getting your damm wifi card to even work in *nix.
Ive spent weeks trying to get my 2 working in linux, no luck yet.

NetStumbler is the only real way to go in Winblows.
(yes im a linux guy, made the switch 2 months ago)

MAC Address Filter

[Pyro226]

I've got a very simple yet effective security setup on my Access Point. I've got it set up to only accept connections from MAC Addresses on my filter list. Both Netstumbler and Windows can see my access point clearly, but Windows just fails to connect with no explaination when the MAC isn't on the list.

I don't have any WEP set up, so kismet users can see my packets, but by my logic, anyone knowledgeable enough to be using a linux WiFi tool is smart enough to crack WEP.

GNU+NDA Don't mix.

[Agent Green]

Actually, Marius has stated before that one of the reasons the project can't go the GNU route is because there are elements in the software that are under NDA.

From the Feb. 1 Q&A in Marius' blog: "NetStumbler is not open source. Indeed it contains a lot of code that was developed under Non-Disclosure Agreements, and the source cannot be released to the general public - if I do so then several teams of lawyers will show up on my doorstep."

Personally, I'm thrilled that Atheros is now supported since stubling 802.11a with NDIS drivers leaves a lot to be desired.