Meanwhile, in Ubuntu, you can do advanced analysis and testing by installing terminal network tools such as Aircrack-ng, hxtools, etc. If you have additional questions or problems, let me know in the comments below.
Wifi adapter with monitoring mode
If you are just getting started with packet analysis and penetration testing, the most important step is to determine if your Wi-Fi card supports non-disruptive or monitor mode. Monitor mode is usually disabled on the built-in Wi-Fi card provided by your desktop or laptop manufacturer. But before you rush out and spend $30 on a USB Wi-Fi adapter, just check to see if your existing monitor mode supports it. In this post, here's how to check if your WiFi card supports monitor mode in Windows, Ubuntu and macOS.
There is no direct command in Windows to check or enable monitor mode on your Wi-Fi card. Consequently, we will have to resort to a tool called Microsoft Network Monitor. This is an official tool developed by Microsoft, but it is currently in the archive. However, it is fully compatible to work on a Windows 10 computer.
Download and install the MS Network Monitor tool. After that, you need to reboot your system so that the tool detects network cards. Then launch the application and click "New Capture" on the start page.
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On the New Capture tab, we want only the Wi-Fi card to listen for packets. To do this, click "Capture Settings" on the top toolbar.
In the settings dialog box, uncheck all the boxes except for Wi-Fi and click "Close". This is to ensure that the Wi-Fi card only listens for network traffic.
macOS
For macOS, you can check the monitor mode of the Wi-Fi card through the terminal using the tcpdump tool. However, this process is a bit tedious, so we'll go the GUI route. To do so, run the wireless diagnostic tool from the Spotlight search.
Alternatively, you can click the Wi-Fi icon in the toolbar while holding down the select key and select "Open Wireless Diagnostics" from the drop-down menu.
After launching the wireless diagnostic tool, press ⌘ + ⌥ +6 to open the Sniffer window. Alternatively, you can also do the same by clicking the "Window" menu on the toolbar and clicking "Sniffer".
In the Sniffer window that pops up, you will see the "Channels and Channel Widths" option. At this point, we will use the default settings. Click the "Start" button for the Sniffer tool to start scanning. Depending on your setup, you may need to enter your Mac credentials to authenticate.
Read: 6 best alternatives to Wireshark for Windows and macOS
If the sniffer works successfully, you'll see that your Wi-Fi is disabled. If you click the Wi-Fi icon in the top right corner, you'll see that your Wi-Fi is in monitoring mode. This means that your Wi-Fi supports monitor mode. If the sniffer gives you an error, it means that your Wi-Fi does not support monitor mode.
Make sure your wireless adapter supports monitor mode
1. Windows.
There is no direct command in Windows to check if the monitor mode is supported or if the Wi-Fi card works. Consequently, we have to resort to a tool called Microsoft Network Monitor. This is a graphical tool developed by Microsoft, but it is currently in the archive. However, they are fully compatible to work on your Windows 10 device.
Download and install the MS Network Monitor tool. Once this is done, you will need to restart your system so that the tool detects the network cards. Then start the application and on the start page, click "New Capture".
On the New Capture tab, we just want the Wi-Fi card to listen for packets. To do this, click on the "Capture Settingson the top toolbar.
In the dialog box.settingsDeselect all the checkboxes except Wi-Fi, and click the "Close" button. This is necessary for the Wi-Fi card to listen only to network traffic.
Publish the setting, click the "Start" button to start collecting packets.
تغليف
Once you have verified that the Wi-Fi card supports monitoring mode, you can move on to further network analysis and testing. We have a separate article on the best open source network monitoring tools for Windows and Linux , check it out. By the way, Windows 10 and macOS are not designed to be used as a network server or for security analysis. Eventually, you should switch to Kali Linux or Parrot OS.
If the above methods do not work for you, it means that your Wi-Fi card does not support monitoring mode. In that case, you can get a USB Wi-Fi adapter for about $30. I recommend the Alpha AWUSO36NH or the Alpha AWUS036NHA or the Realtech RTL8812AU.
Most Android smartphones support monitoring mode directly, but you will need access to root permissions and applications such as zAnti or cSploit Enter data packets into the network. Here is a good article to help.
The iPhone, on the other hand, does not support monitoring mode even after Prison Break. So the best thing you can do is to capture traffic to and from yourself and not from other devices on the network.
Meanwhile, in Ubuntu, you can do an advanced level of analysis and testing by installing terminal-based network tools such as Aircrack-ng و hcxtools , and so on. If you have any further questions or problems, let me know in the comments below.
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