Most of you would have heard about a brute-force attack. It is the way passcodes, passwords, and kill codes are found with the help of continuous permutations using all kinds of keywords possible. Now networks with high security don’t allow more than 5 or 10 entries before locking themselves up, but normal Wi-FI networks in our homes and our offices allow an unlimited number of tries for entering a password so a brute force attack can be successfully carried out.
So, even if you have a very long and difficult password protecting your networks from unwary Wi-Fi predators, it is highly unlikely that hackers can access it with the help of open source hacking tools like the Reaver. It uses a brute-force attack to compromise 95% of the Wi-Fi networks all over the world. Here we will tell you both how to use a Reaver system to down networks and also how to make your computer safe from attacks like these. Please note that the intention here is to make you aware and polish your skills for the possible attacks on your networks. We know how much useful information can be stolen and used for blackmailing and leaking information. We want you to avoid that, see?
You don’t have to to be network whiz to pull this off.The Reaver is a command-line tool that requires a blank DVD, a computer with Wi-Fi capability and time at hand. Follow the following steps to get the WPA password:
STEP 1. Burn Backtrack 5 Live DVD on the blank DVD. It is a bootable Linux distribution that has useful network testing tools. Although it isn’t a part of the actual process, it is highly recommended that you do it. You can download it here.
STEP 2. Get the target Wi-Fi up and running and power up your laptop or computer. It can virtually work on any brand or model of a laptop.
STEP 3. By now you should have the Backtrack 5 DVD in your system, so let’s get cracking!
STEP 4. Now you should boot with the help of backtrack. It will result in a command line prompt. Type startx and press enter. This is the interface that follows the command. If you need help figuring out how to boot, just Google it. It is an easy enough process.
STEP 5. Next step is to install Reaver through this boot option. To install it, you will need a Wi-Fi (you know the password of since it is downloaded from the web).
STEP 6. Click Applications > Internet > Wicd Network Manager. Select your network and click Connect, enter your password, if necessary, click OK, and then click Connect a second time. Now we install Reaver on your system.
STEP 7. Click the terminal menu and a command prompt will sprout open.
STEP 8. Type apt-get update and press enter.
STEP 9. Once the update is complete, type apt-get install reaver and enter.
STEP 10. If all goes smoothly, the Reaver is installed, and it will remain so until your reboot. So, don’t expect it to be there when your reboot the system. Now open the WICD Network Manager again and disconnect the Wi-Fi. Now it is time to crack an unknown network.
STEP 11. Before you use Reaver, you would need to know the wireless system’s interface name, the basic BSSID of the router and that the card is in the monitor mode. So type iwconfig and press enter.
You will see the wireless connections here. Most likely it will be named wlan0 or any of the chronological order. Identify the network you want to hack and execute the following command to go into monitor mode. Take a screenshot.
airmon-ng start wlan0
This command will output the name if the monitor mode interface. Most likely it is mon0. Take a screenshot of this too.
To find the BSSID of the router, type airodump-ng wlan0 and press enter. You will see the list of BSSIDs of the networks. Select the appropriate WPA secured network and copy its details. Take a screenshot if you have to.
Now you have everything in place to start the Reaver.
STEP 12. Start the following command in the terminal:
reaver -i moninterface -b bssid -vv
Past the whole BSSID here where it is mentioned. If it is 8D:AE:9D:65:1F:B2 on a mono system, the command will be:
reaver -i mon0 -b 8D:AE:9D:65:1F:B2 -vv
Now press enter.
STEP 13. Now sit back and relax. The whole process will take a couple of minutues (if its a weak password) or even more up to ten hours using the well-tested brute force method. When it has been cracked, it will look like this:
Note: Reaver is expected to be used in almost all systems. But, it won’t necessarily work on all kinds of routers. Sometimes the Reaver seems to be stuck, but let it be. It is how it works. Now don’t act irresponsibly with the password. Also, if you don’t have the kind of time, you can type ctrl+c and thus, the process will save itself and then quit the program. Next time you attempt it, it will continue from this exact point.
How to protect yourself from a Reaver attack.
Now that the cat’s out of the bag, you will need to know how to protect yourself from potential Reaver attacks. The first step you should take is turn off your WPS of your network. Many routers don’t even support it anyway. But, even then, the robust Reaver software was still able to crack the password. There is a simple and effective way of using a MAC address filter. With the help of it, you can only allow the devices that you want to be connected with your Wi-Fi. While it keeps away most of the unwanted users, a good hacker can always figure out the MAC address of a white-listed device and imitate it to get access. So, what to do then?
There is a saying that good and evil are a part and parcel of this world. It is true here also as an open-source firmware named DD-WRT keeps away the Reaver attacks. It also doesn’t support WPS so do check out their list of supported devices to find out more about your device’s compatibility. It is also good for monitoring your internet usage, setting up a network hard drive and boosting the range of your Wi-Fi to a wider area. It practically turns your cheap router into a high-performing one!
See? Now not only you are protected from Reaver attacks, but your Wi-Fi’s reach has also compounded, and you have better monitoring over your internet. You can thank us later!
