Build an Open Source Network Sniffer

An anonymous reader writes "This article reviews common issues of wireless security, and shows how to use open source software to suss out wireless networks, get information about them, and start recognizing common security problems. You will learn how build a lightweight wireless sniffer that runs on open source software and see how simple it is to interact with wireless networks."

Comments

Network "sniffer"?

[ZiZ]

While this tool that TFA references and builds is a pretty neat interface to viewing broadcast-SSID access points, I don't think it really qualifies as a 'sniffer', because it doesn't deal at all with sniffing packets, detecting non-broadcast-SSID access points, or anything along those lines.

It is, however, a pretty neat text-only interface to enumerate broadcasting APs, and honestly, the code for the interface makes for more interesting examination than the code for the 'sniffing'.

Linksys WRT54G/GS

[adamjaskie]

Its sold as a "router", but what it really is is a little plastic box with a 200MHz MIPS embedded computer running Linux. You can replace the firmware with something like Sveasoft's modified version, that allows you to SSH into it, and run something like Snort on it. You can turn off the onboard wireless card if you don't need it, and disconnect the antennas for an even more compact device. Without the radio going, it probably won't even put out much heat.