Free and open-source software called Aircrack-ng scans wireless networks for vulnerabilities and can be used for network administration, hacking, or penetration testing.
A well-known scanner called Aircrack-ng is capable of displaying both the signals and the traffic on WiFi networks. Unfortunately, in addition to being able to broadcast packets, the tool has a reputation for being able to “recover WEP encryption keys,” which is another term for “breaking security.”
Aircrack-ng is an outdated operating system, and because it was designed as a tool for experienced professionals, its user interface is not particularly user-friendly. There is just a command-line interface available for usage with Aircrack-ng; there is no graphical user interface. Because of this, the tool is difficult to use, and it is simple for other systems to outperform it.
The creation of Aircrack-ng technology
Mister X, a Belgian super hacker named Thomas d’Otreppe de Bouvette, was the brains behind the creation of Aircrack-ng, which was made available for the first time in April of 2006. The software was originally developed for use with an application known as Aircrack; the letter “ng” in the name of the new service indicates that it belongs to the “next generation.”
Later in life, De Bouvette became a gamekeeper and is credited with creating OpenWIPSng, an innovative wireless intrusion prevention system. Additionally, de Bouvette is the author of the definitive book on wireless security testing. This is the WiFu – WiFi KungFu course, which covers Offensive Security Wireless Attacks. WiFu is an acronym for “wireless fidelity.”
Aircrack-ng is the one of de Bouvette’s projects that has been the most tremendously successful. This tool has undergone regular iterations of development, with the most recent one coming in January 2020 in the form of Aircrack-ng version 1.6. OpenWIPS-ng, on the other hand, has not received an update since its first launch in 2011 and is technically still considered to be in the Beta stage.
One of the tools for performing penetration testing that is integrated into Kali Linux is called Aircrack-ng.
Components related to aircracking
There are a total of 20 separate utilities that make up Aircrack-ng. These include:
• airbase-ng targets wireless customers rather than access points (APs) in its attacks. This programme contains a wide variety of attacks, such as traffic injection, packet modification, and handshake capture.
• aircrack-ng This is the fundamental module, and it deciphers encryption keys for WEP and WPA networks.
• airdecap-ng is a decryption programme that may be used on WEP or WPA files that already have a decryption key known to the user.
• airdecloak-ng Deletes any traces of WEP cloaking from a given pcap file. This throws off WIPS systems, which generate a bogus stream of packets to try to trick aircrack-ng into thinking they are receiving real data.
• aireplay-ng With the help of this packet injector, the user is able to transmit data packets onto the network. When it is implemented on Windows, this goes through CommView first as a middleman.
• airmon-ng is used to manage the network card and change the mode it operates in.
• airodump-ng This module is a pcap processor that converts read-in packets into either pcap or IVS format and then saves the results to a file. It is possible to use it to extract information about network participants from packets as they pass.
• airolib-ng stores and manages lists of ESSIDs and passwords for use in encryption and cracking credentials. These lists can be used for both cracking credentials and encrypting data.
• airserv-ng Permits other computers to access the wireless network interface card. The airserv-ng programme runs on one computer and works as a server for the other computers, which play the role of clients. The application acts as a daemon and listens for requests to be processed.
• airtun-ng A system that creates tunnels for wireless data communications. This not only adds a layer of discretion to the conversations, but it also has the capability of acting as a repeater. This software will only function properly when run on Linux.
• buddy-ng This is a programme that acts as a receiver and works in conjunction with the easside-ng software. These two apps cooperate with one another to allow transmission over a WEP network even when the WEP encryption key is unknown. It is necessary for the buddy-ng programme to be executed on a server that is located outside of the wireless network.
• easside-ng This programme allows transmissions to be sent across a network protected by WEP without making use of the encryption protocol used by the network. Packets that are transmitted to and from an external site will be encrypted and decrypted by the AP. Therefore, easside-ng will send its packet to buddy-ng, which will then operate as a proxy and return the packet to the network, at which point the AP will give it WEP authorization.
• ivstools This tool can either convert a pcap file to an IVS file or merge two or more IVS files together.
• kstats This device displays the votes that the FMS algorithm has cast for an IVS dump. However, in order for the WEP encryption key advertisements to work properly, a parameter is required. Using airodump and ivstools, you would first obtain a pcap file to use as a starting point for the IVS dump generation process.
• makeivs-ng When provided with a WEP key, this software will generate an IVS file. This file would be created to be used in different simulations during testing.
• packetforge-ng is able to generate encrypted packets that are compatible with the encryption system that is being utilised in a stream and then send those encrypted packets.
• tkiptun-ng is able to inject a limited amount of frames into a WPA TKIP-protected network through the utilisation of QoS channels; however, this programme is not successful with all varieties of drivers.
• versuck-ng When it comes to deducing the default WEP key, this specialised utility is only compatible with Verizon Actiontec wireless routers.
• wesside-ng This is the primary cracking procedure that is used to determine the encryption key that is required in order to gain access to a network that is protected by WEP.
• The WEP keys are obtained from the XP Wireless Zero Configuration application by using the WZCOOK programme. Unfortunately, there are times when this instrument is ineffective.
A few quick observations on the vocabulary used in the descriptions that came before them are as follows:
• pcap is a binary format for packet capture that was initially developed for tcpdump but is now being utilised by a great number of other packet sniffers.
• Initialization Vectors are stored in a file with the extension.ivs, which indicates that it is an IVS file (IVs). WEP encryption is formed by combining a key with something called an initialization vector (IV), which is a random value that is transmitted as plain text. In a nutshell, it is a second key for the encryption process, and in order to calculate the WEP key, Aircrack-ng requires this.
An identifier known as an ESSID is given to a piece of hardware whenever it attempts to join a wireless network. The ESSID of the device is transmitted together with the connection request, and after it has successfully joined the network, it will be identifiable by that number until it is removed. ESSIDs can take on any value, and as their values can be altered, they can be used for several connections at the same time.
Installing Aircrack-ng
The software needed to run Aircrack-ng can be downloaded from the website of the application. But before we get started, let’s obtain the installer by going to the Aircrack-ng Download website.
This page provides download links for two different versions of Aircrack-ng for Windows. In one of them, the user is required to write a DLL in order to link the Aircrack-ng software to the computer’s wireless network interface card (NIC). The fact that the Aircrack-ng community expects potential users to be prepared to take this step or even know how to indicates how exclusive the community is. The developer of this tool, unfortunately, is not going to make it simple for users to operate the application.
The good news is that in order to use the new version of Aircrack-ng for Windows, it is no longer necessary for the user to have a degree in Computer Science. This particular variant uses the Riverbed AirPcap driver to establish a connection with the wireless NIC. In the event that you do not already have this installed on your Windows device, you can get it from the Riverbed AirPcap download page.
Compilation of the source code is available for users of macOS, Linux, and Unix operating systems. If you have Kali Linux installed on your PC, you will already have Aircrack-ng installed.
The advantages and disadvantages of aircracking
Aircrack-ng is a well-known and widely used hacking tool. When you find out that the creators of WiFi are aware of this famous hacking system and have taken steps to block it, a lot of the enthusiasm that you felt at the prospect of getting this famous hacking system for free fades away. However, it is ancient, just like the majority of classics.
Pros:
• A well-known piece of hacking software that you are free to use.
• Versions available for macOS, in addition to Unix, Linux, and Windows
• Already included in the Kali Linux distribution
• Capable of breaking the encryption on wireless networks
Cons:
• Installation can be challenging.
• Difficult to apply in practise
• There is no graphical user interface (GUI).
• Is an expert in breaking the obsolete WEP encryption, which is still used on some wireless networks
The WPA-TKP utilities do not function properly.
Options besides Aircracking to Consider
When it comes to wireless networks that rely on the WEP security standard, Aircrack-ng is a fantastic tool to have at your disposal. The only issue is that WEP was no longer supported after the year 2004. Therefore, Aircrack-ng contains a few utilities that only function properly on networks protected by the WPA standard; however, this particular standard is no longer in widespread usage, so those utilities are rendered useless.
You’re definitely feeling a little disheartened with this piece of news, and you undoubtedly wish you could locate another wireless hacking programme that actually works. Thankfully, there are other systems available that offer a superior alternative to Aircrack-ng that can be found on the market.
What characteristics should you search for in a replacement for Aircrack-ng?
We investigated the current state of the market for wireless network scanners and ranked the available products according to the following criteria:
• A straightforward procedure for both setup and use of the tool
• A graphical user interface is preferred whenever possible.
• Additional features, such as a display that shows the signal strength or a tracker that shows the channel frequency
• A device that is capable of revealing the type of encryption that is being utilised on a network
• Detection for a wide variety of wireless communication technologies in addition to WiFi
• A free tool or a free trial for an evaluation that does not cost anything
• A tool that is actually useful for performing penetration testing, rather than merely being something fancy to show off to people
In consideration of these criterion for selection, we have developed a list of useful wireless network sniffers that should assist you in locating the signal footprint, the strength of the signal, and the volume of traffic. If, on the other hand, you are seeking for a method that can decipher the encryption keys used by wireless networks, you will have to keep trying for a little longer because no such services have been developed as of yet.
The following is a list that we have compiled of the top six alternatives to Aircrack-ng:
1. Airgeddon This is comparable to Aircrack-ng, however it is superior due to the fact that the code has been updated; the most recent version was made available in August of 2021. This is a collection of scripts that can be executed in conjunction with other tools, such as some parts of Aircrack-ng, and can also link with one another. In addition to conducting audits of wireless networks, the tools also attempt to crack passwords. Despite this, it is equipped with routines for WPA2, which is the current standard. In addition to that, there are tactics for assault and packet capture included in the programme. It is downloadable for Linux and comes pre-installed on Kali Linux.
2. Trackerjacker Because it can gather information on a network even when your device is not connected to that network, this tool is handy for scanning wireless networks. The majority of scanners need that you connect your device to the wireless network before they will scan it. Despite this, the service can perform functions such as mapping and tracking, and it is also capable of launching many attacks, including spoofing. Trackerjacker may be installed on Linux as well as macOS, and using it does not cost anything.
3. EAPHammer This is a collection of utilities that is updated on a regular basis; the most recent update took place in August of 2021. Scanning and attacking wireless networks protected by WPA2-Enterprise can be accomplished with the help of this programme. The tools contain methods that can be used to carry out either a karma attack or an evil twin strike. It is possible to gain access to Active Directory instances so that you can locate access credentials. It provides services such as SSID cloaking and network spoofing, making it a useful tool for penetration testers. Linux users are able to install and make use of the utility at no cost.
4. Wifiphisher This collection of tools is highly skilled at compromising networks and coercing users to connect to a sham AP. After gaining access to the AP that is being controlled by the hacker, a variety of attacks can be carried out. Snooping, the theft of credentials, man-in-the-middle attacks, identity theft, and a great many other types of assaults, such as Karma and Lure10, can all benefit from this. When it comes to conducting research and stealing information, this tool is much more useful than when it comes to automated attacks. It is compatible with wireless networks that use WPA and WPA2 encryption. This programme can be utilised without cost, and its development was conducted specifically with Kali Linux in mind.
5. Wireshark Wireshark is arguably the ideal choice to use in place of Aircrack-ng if all you want to do is record traffic for the purpose of analysis. It is compatible with Local Area Networks (LANs), WiFi networks, and Bluetooth networks. However, there are no facilities for cracking passwords or conducting attacks included in this bundle. This open-source software offers a data viewer that displays all of the collected packets and is completely free to use. In addition to this, it may export packets to various file formats or write them to a file using the pcap file format. For the actual packet capture procedure, the system uses pcap as its primary tool. There are versions of Wireshark available for macOS, Linux, and Unix in addition to Windows.
Wifi made of acrylic This is a collection of software that can provide you with in-depth information on your WiFi network. Modules include a Bluetooth version and an edition designed specifically for use by law enforcement, in addition to a WiFi Heatmap diagrammer and a WiFi Traffic Analyzer. This package does have some password management services that, if used correctly, will allow you to gain unauthorised access to a network. The usage of acrylic does not incur any fees for private individuals, but commercial users must pay. On the other hand, the costs are laughably low, such as $19.95 for a licence to use the WiFi traffic analyzer for a single year. It is compatible with Windows.
