Kismet is a powerful wireless network detection and analysis tool that is used by network administrators and security professionals to monitor and analyze wireless traffic. One of the key features of Kismet is its ability to detect wireless networks that are not broadcasting their network names (SSIDs). These hidden networks are difficult to detect using traditional wireless scanning tools, but Kismet is able to uncover them by analyzing the wireless traffic in the surrounding area.
To use Kismet to discover hidden wireless networks, you will need to have Kismet installed on your system and have a wireless network interface card that is supported by Kismet. You can check the list of supported cards on the Kismet website.
Once you have these prerequisites in place, you can follow these steps to discover hidden wireless networks using Kismet:
- Run Kismet by entering the following command in the terminal.
- Kismet will start up and display a graphical user interface. From here, you can select your wireless card from the drop-down menu and start scanning for wireless networks.
- Kismet will begin to scan for wireless networks and display a list of detected networks in the interface.
- If Kismet detects a hidden network, it will be displayed in the list of networks with a blank SSID.
- You can click on the hidden network in the list to view more information about it, such as the type of wireless technology being used and the strength of the signal.
- You can also use Kismet’s filtering and sorting options to narrow down the list of detected networks and focus on specific types of networks or devices.
Using Kismet to discover hidden wireless networks can be a useful tool for network administrators and security professionals, as it allows them to identify wireless networks that may not be visible using traditional scanning tools. It can also help them understand the wireless activity in a given area and identify potential security risks.
Here is an example of how Kismet might be used:
Imagine you are a network administrator responsible for managing the wireless network at your office. You want to make sure that there are no unauthorized wireless networks operating within your office, as they could potentially pose a security risk.
To accomplish this, you decide to use Kismet to scan for wireless networks in your office. You have Kismet installed on your laptop and you have a wireless network interface card that is supported by Kismet.
You run Kismet and select your wireless card from the drop-down menu. Kismet begins scanning for wireless networks and displays a list of detected networks in the interface.
As Kismet scans, it detects several wireless networks that are broadcasting their SSIDs, as well as one hidden network that is not broadcasting its SSID. You click on the hidden network in the list to view more information about it.
Based on the information displayed by Kismet, you determine that the hidden network is using an outdated wireless technology and has a weak signal strength. You decide to investigate further to determine the source of the hidden network.
After some investigation, you discover that the hidden network is being used by an employee who has set up a wireless access point in their office without authorization. You inform the employee that they need to remove the access point and follow proper procedures for setting up wireless networks in the future.
In this example, Kismet was used to detect a hidden wireless network that posed a potential security risk. By using Kismet’s wireless detection and analysis capabilities, the network administrator was able to identify and address the issue before it could cause any harm.
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By Abul Kalam Khan