What is wireless sniff - Wireless Sniffing

Wireless Sniffing is one kind of program that is use hackers or the attackers to attack and break the security of the wireless networks and hijack the whole networking system. Basically it is defined as the attacking tool used by the attackers to interfere in the broadcasting of the wireless network traffic and disturbed the whole network is called as the wireless sniffing. Attackers use different types of technologies to do the process, the machinery is used to configure the artificial data grams and spread over the wireless network with the help of computer or laptops. Hackers attack on the frames of the network and make it difficult for the users to do access over network. Comparatively wireless sniffing is easy then the wired networks.
 

Techniques of Wireless Sniffing:

There are different types of techniques that are used by the sniffers to sniff the wireless network. On these steps or techniques the whole working of the wireless sniffing depends. Some of them are as follows

• Passive Scanning
• SSID Detection
• Collection of MAC addresses

Passive Scanning:

The first technique that is used by the attackers to sniff the wireless networks is the passive scanning. It is the process in which attackers use the radio channels to sniff the wireless networks. When the transmission of the data in the form of radio waves starts the attackers can scan the whole data passively and carry on the sniffing process. In this case sniffers use different types of software to hack the wireless networking cards, first they gather information and then implement on the network for sniffing. These tactics are carried out in the time before the complete transmission of data. With the help of this data sniffers can easily decodes the secret information of the wireless networks.

Detection of SSID:

Service Set Identifier SSID is the device that is used to check out the protocols and the module of the networking. Secondly after the scan of the transmitted data passively, sniffers take steps to detect the service set identifier SSID in the particular wireless network. There are different frames in which SSID works. When we use the multiple access points then the SSID is associated with the Beacon frame and this frame has some value and if we should not set it t the zero then it is easy for the hackers to identify and detect the SSID for sniffing. Sometimes hackers use wireless probing also to detect the SSID and hacking the wireless network.

Collection of MAC Addresses:

After detecting the service set identifier SSID, sniffer now take steps to sniff the wireless network by collecting the required MAC addresses with the help of passive scanning and also with the help of different types of software. These MAC are collected by the sniffer for the use in the wireless spoofing. The collection of the Media Access Control (MAC) addresses is required for two possibilities in the wireless sniffing i.e. first it would be used by the sniffer to hide his or her identity and their access points. Secondly, the access points used in collecting the MAC would not be registered.

How to Avoid Wireless Sniffing?

Wireless sniffing would be avoided by using different types of technologies or applications. Some of the important applications that are used to protect the wireless networks from sniffing are as follows:

• Wireless data encryption technique should be used to avoid the wireless sniffing such as WEP.
• Changed and secret passwords should be used rather than then the default passwords
• Different types of applications and software should be used to avoid and reduce the wireless sniffing and wireless hacking.