Packet Sniffing
I will be using the program Wireshark do demonstrate packet sniffing. Packet sniffing is the act of capturing packets going through a network. With a packet sniffer, once a hacker gains access to wireless network he could intercept private information going through a network such as: usernames, passwords, IM conversations, and e-mails. Let’s show you an example.
1. Download and install Wireshark .
2. Launch it and click on the option to list the available capture interfaces as shown below.
3. Next choose the target to begin to capture their packets and click on start.
4. If you don’t know which one to choose, wait a little bit and the one that accumulates the most packets is your best choice. Many captured packets shows that the user is currently active.
5. Now to show you an example of how Wireshark can be used I will start up Windows Live and send a message. As you will see in the image below, my whole conversation will be captured. To filter out all the useless data and to only display the Windows Live related packets type in “msnms” in the filter bar.
6. As you can see, my message is displayed at the bottom. If I continue down the list I can see the whole conversation. Usernames and passwords are captured the same way, and if they aren’t encrypted, you can see them in plain text.
Some other useful sniffing programs to learn:
• WinDump
• Snort
• Dsniff
Google Search! Search Here!
Countermeasures
There are a few countermeasures you could follow to keep your wireless network safe from hackers.
1. Change your routers default password and make sure you have WAP encryption enabled. If your router doesn’t have a WAP option, use WEP. It is better than nothing.
2. Use a long secure password for your router. Include numbers, lowercase letters, uppercase letters and other symbols. The more obscure the better.
3. Make sure your router has the option to not broadcast your SSID enabled. This will prevent some programs like Net Stumbler from locating your wireless network.
4. Use MAC filtering on your router. Every wireless card and wireless adapter has a MAC address. By choosing to allow only your MAC addresses onto the network, you can keep a lot of attackers out.
5. To prevent packet sniffing attacks from affecting you, make sure the important sites you use, like banks, use SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption. You can tell if the site has SSL enabled if the URL begins with https:// instead of http:/.
6. In cafés or other hotspots where internet is free, packet sniffing is very common. To avoid being affected use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) service to encrypt the data you send across the internet.
I will be using the program Wireshark do demonstrate packet sniffing. Packet sniffing is the act of capturing packets going through a network. With a packet sniffer, once a hacker gains access to wireless network he could intercept private information going through a network such as: usernames, passwords, IM conversations, and e-mails. Let’s show you an example.
1. Download and install Wireshark .
2. Launch it and click on the option to list the available capture interfaces as shown below.
4. If you don’t know which one to choose, wait a little bit and the one that accumulates the most packets is your best choice. Many captured packets shows that the user is currently active.
Some other useful sniffing programs to learn:
• WinDump
• Snort
• Dsniff
Google Search! Search Here!
Countermeasures
There are a few countermeasures you could follow to keep your wireless network safe from hackers.
1. Change your routers default password and make sure you have WAP encryption enabled. If your router doesn’t have a WAP option, use WEP. It is better than nothing.
2. Use a long secure password for your router. Include numbers, lowercase letters, uppercase letters and other symbols. The more obscure the better.
3. Make sure your router has the option to not broadcast your SSID enabled. This will prevent some programs like Net Stumbler from locating your wireless network.
4. Use MAC filtering on your router. Every wireless card and wireless adapter has a MAC address. By choosing to allow only your MAC addresses onto the network, you can keep a lot of attackers out.
5. To prevent packet sniffing attacks from affecting you, make sure the important sites you use, like banks, use SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption. You can tell if the site has SSL enabled if the URL begins with https:// instead of http:/.
6. In cafés or other hotspots where internet is free, packet sniffing is very common. To avoid being affected use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) service to encrypt the data you send across the internet.
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