List of Wireless Network Attacks - Part 1

With the passage of time, attackers are getting smarter and smarter. They can now even intercept secure web connections with the help of proxy tools and digital certificates. While it is important to stay up to dated with the technology, but it is also important to learn how hackers attack wireless networks, what all technology they use, how they make you fall prey to wireless network attacks and what you can do to prevent such attacks. To gain a better understanding of different wireless network attacks and the basic strategy adopted by hackers for list of wireless network attacks, read more about it here:

How SSL Encrypted Web Connections are Intercepted - Understanding the Concept

How SSL Encrypted Web Connections are Intercepted - Attacking Strategy

Such attacks are used to infiltrate a wireless network by bypassing the access control measures. Below is a brief description of such attacks, along with their name and various tools & methods used.

War Driving

War driving involves listening for wireless networks using either a PDA or a computer. The main purpose of war driving attack is to find a launch point to initiate the main attack.

Tools Used

DStumbler, MacStumbler, Airmon-ng, Wellenreiter, KisMAC, WiFiFoFum and NetStumbler

Rogue Access Points

Instead of searching for free wireless networks, an attacker establishes a connection with an enterprise and uses their network to initiate its attack. Here, the enterprise acts as a launch point.

Tools Used

Can be any software or hardware access point

Ad Hoc Associations

With this technique, the attacker can connect to any unsecured access point or station.

Tools Used

USB adapter or a wireless card

MAC Spoofing

With this technique, the attacker changes the MAC address of any computer allowing it to bypass the server or routers to treat as a trusted and authorized access point or use it to hide the computer from the network.

Tools Used

Wellenreiter , MacChanger, SMAC, SirMACsAlot and wicontrol

These attacks are used to misguide user by sending him/her fake packets. The attacker first intercepts the communication and then adds his/her own packets in the communication in order to smooth the progress of other attacks.

802.11 Frame Injection

It includes creating data frames manually and delivering these fake data packets over the network.

Tools Used

Libradiate, Airpwn, WEPWedgie, File2air, wnet dinject/reinject and void11

802.11 Data Replay

It involves capturing the original frames and modifying them (replay).

Tools Used

Capturing and other injection tools

802.1X Extensible AP Replay

It involves capturing 802.1X Extensible AP for replay.

Tools Used

Wireless Capturing and other injection tools between access point and station

802.1X RADIUS Replay

Capturing RADIUS accepted or rejected messages for replay.

Tools Used

Ethernet Capturing and other injection tools between authentication server and access point