SlideShare a Scribd company logo
Hacker tool talk: Kismet
CIPS Edmonton Dinner Meeting – October 2011
        “Security through knowledge”
               Chris Hammond-Thrasher
      chris.hammond-thrasher <at> ca.fujitsu.com
             Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab
                      October 2011




                Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab      1
• Network: Fool-open
• http://kismet.nfshost.com/




            Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab   2
Agenda
•   Why are we here?
•   Setting up a wireless security lab
•   About Kismet
•   Installing Kismet
•   Kismet demo
•   What’s next?



                     Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab   3
Why are we here?




    Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab   4
Ethics and motives
“Every single scam in human history has worked
for one key reason; the victim did not recognize
it as a scam.”
- R. Paul Wilson




                  Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab    5
Setting up a wireless security lab




            Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab   6
Wireless security lab reqs
• It’s actually pretty easy to setup
   – Wireless access point (AP)
       • Recommendation: Almost any will do
   – Attack/dev box
       • Wireless card and driver that supports packet injection
       • On Windows there is only one choice: AirPCAP from CACE (starting
         at US $200)
       • PCAP compliant network packet analyzer
       • Aircrack-ng wireless cracking and audit suite
       • Recommendation: OS: Backtrack Linux, Packet tool: Wireshark, H/W:
         ALFA AWUS36H for 802.11b/g (~$40)
   – Target box
       • Wireless card and driver compatible with your AP
   – Logging/monitoring box (Optional)
       • Wireless card and driver that supports monitor mode

                            Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab                    7
Choices
• If you have a shortage of hardware, you can
  employ virtualization to cut down on the
  number of boxes in your lab. However,VMs
  can only use USB wireless cards.
• Booting from a Backtrack DVD or other
  bootable device is often the best option for
  the attack/dev box; it has Kismet and drivers
  for many wireless chipsets.

                  Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab   8
Caution
• Unless your lab is in a rural area or in a
  Faraday cage, there will be innocent networks
  within range of your equipment
• You are welcome to attack your own
  equipment, but attacking others’ networks
  without permission is potentially illegal



                  Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab   9
About Kismet




  Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab   10
History
• Kismet is one of the longest running and most
  successful open source wireless tool projects –
  dates back to the early 2000s
• The Kismet project is lead by Dragorn (aka Mike
  Kershaw)
• It was originally created to fill a void for an
  affordable full featured wireless scanner
• Kismet-newcore is the recently released total
  rewrite of Kismet
• Kismet-newcore is included in the latest
  Backtrack 4 release
                   Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab    11
Features
• Kismet is a passive 802.11a/b/g/n network sniffer (assuming you
  have the right drivers and hardware)
• Broad support for wireless chip sets and reliable driver auto-
  detection
• ncurses interface
• GPS integration (+ Google Earth KML mapping tool)
• Packet capture
• Wireless protocol dissection and analysis
• Some wireless IDS features
• Can be deployed in a distributed architecture with remote sensors
  (drones) linked to a central console
• Extensible plug-in framework (WEP crack and DECT sniffing via
  plug-ins)
• Free (as in beer and speech)

                          Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab           12
Kismet vs. others
• Kismet passively monitors wireless networks – it never
  transmits
   – Cannot be detected
   – Can see non-beaconing networks if they are in use
   – Recovers cloaked SSIDs by listening to connection
     handshakes
• Stumblers broadcast probes and listen for responses
   –   Can be detected
   –   Find many networks faster
   –   Cannot find non-beaconing networks
   –   Cannot recover cloaked SSIDs
   –   Cannot packet capture

                        Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab    13
Legit uses of Kismet
     • Site survey planning and measurement
           – "Do we have enough coverage?“
     • Security auditing
           – "Does the network comply with policy?“
     • Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Assessment
           – "What opportunities are there to exploit the
             network?“
     • Security Monitoring and IDS Analysis
           – "Is someone attacking my network?"
                                      Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab   14
Props to Josh Wright for this slide
h4X0r$
• Undetectable eavesdropping
  – “Do you have unencrypted data on the airwaves?”
• Undetectable WEP cracking (with plug-in)
  – “Do you ‘protect’ your data with the worst
    encryption protocol ever published by the IEEE?”*
• Undetectable reconnaissance in advance of
  another attack
  – “Do you reveal any vulnerabilities that I can
    exploit?”
         * Bill Arbaugh of the University of Maryland Computing Science department
           uses WEP as an example of how not to design a cryptographic protocol.
                                Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab                        15
Installing Kismet




    Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab   16
Choices
• Easiest: Get latest Backtrack (BT5R1 right now)
  http://www.backtrack-linux.org/downloads/

• Linux power user: Use your distro’s package manager
  to install the latest binary
  sudo apt-get install kismet
• Windows power user (with AirPCAP adaptor): Get the
  latest win32 installer from the Kismet site
  http://www.cacetech.com/downloads.html

• Developer: Get latest snapshot from svn and compile
  with gcc
  svn co https://www.kismetwireless.net/code/svn/trunk kismet
  cd kismet
  ./configure --prefix=/opt && make && make install



                           Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab        17
Kismet demo




  Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab   18
Kismet demo
•   Starting it up
•   Tour through Kismet screens
•   Eavesdropping on open networks
•   [Cracking WEP keys]




                  Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab   19
What’s next




 Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab   20
Learn more
• Read Josh Wright’s much better (but slightly
  dated) intro to Kismet
  http://www.willhackforsushi.com/presentations/budget-wireless-
  assessment-newcore.pdf

• Read Josh Wright’s book
  https://www.amazon.ca/Hacking-Exposed-Wireless-Second-
  Johnny/dp/0071666613/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1291838235&sr=8-8




                        Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab             21
Act locally
• At home
  – Turn on WPA2 PSK using a strong password
  – Try using Kismet on your laptop to determine
    your home network range – note that the range
    at which you can listen to your network is
    different from the range at which you can connect
    to your network
  – Use Kismet to audit your community league,
    church, friend’s store, parents’ networks to make
    sure they are configured securely

                   Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab    22
Act locally
• At home
  – Watch your network for high volumes of
    retransmitted packets – this may indicate
    interference from nearby networks or other
    wireless devices (or your microwave)
  – Warwalk your neighborhood to determine the
    channel with the least interference for your home
    network
  – Use Kismet to help diagnose wireless network
    connectivity issues

                   Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab    23
Final Thoughts
•   SSID broadcast: yes or no?
•   SSID cloaking?
•   MAC address filtering?
•   Understanding Open vs WEP vs WPA2*




      * The EFF advocates for Open - https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/04/open-wireless-movement


                                        Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab                               24
Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab   25
Cryptanalysis Procedure
Every deck has the same cards with the same letters. For the sake of fairness it
is important to follow this procedure to the letter.
1. Unpack your special deck being careful to not alter the order of the
      cards
2. Hold the deck face down in whichever hand is the most comfortable
3. Deal exactly 24 cards off of the top of the deck face down onto the table
      forming a single pile
4. Riffle shuffle the two packs together *just once* (If you cannot riffle, ask
      for help)
5. Now deal down exactly 12 cards off the top of the deck onto the table
      forming a single pile
6. Do this three more times to form 4 piles
7. When your facilitator signals, look at your cards and try to use up all of
      your letters spelling one or more English words. Proper nouns and
      common acronyms are fair game. Cards labeled “space” can be used as a
      space between two words.

                              Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab                   26
Thank you!


                  Want more presentations like this?
Is there a particular tool or hack that you would like to see demoed?

                 Chris Hammond-Thrasher
               Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab
Email: chris.hammond-thrasher <at> ca.fujitsu.com
                   Twitter: @thrashor




                         Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab                  27
Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab   28

More Related Content

PPTX
Wardriving & Kismet Introduction
PPTX
Kismet
ODP
ODP
Introduction To NIDS
ODP
SoHo Honeypot (LUGS)
PPTX
Wardriving
PPT
Anton Chuvakin on Honeypots
PPTX
Ipfire open source firewall
Wardriving & Kismet Introduction
Kismet
Introduction To NIDS
SoHo Honeypot (LUGS)
Wardriving
Anton Chuvakin on Honeypots
Ipfire open source firewall

What's hot (20)

PDF
IPCop Firewall
PDF
Database Firewall with Snort
PPTX
BackTrack5 - Linux
PPTX
PDF
Hack wifi password using kali linux
PPT
L14 More Wireless Hacking: Cracking Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) it-slidesh...
PPTX
Firewall basics
PPT
Firewalls
PPTX
Wireless hacking
PPTX
2014 Security Onion Conference
PPTX
Firewall basics
PPTX
Snort IDS
PPT
FireWall
PPT
Attacking Automatic Wireless Network Selection
PPT
Intrusion Detection System using Snort
DOCX
Snort Intrusion Detection / Prevention System on PFSense Firewall
PPTX
Security Onion
PPTX
Security onion
IPCop Firewall
Database Firewall with Snort
BackTrack5 - Linux
Hack wifi password using kali linux
L14 More Wireless Hacking: Cracking Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) it-slidesh...
Firewall basics
Firewalls
Wireless hacking
2014 Security Onion Conference
Firewall basics
Snort IDS
FireWall
Attacking Automatic Wireless Network Selection
Intrusion Detection System using Snort
Snort Intrusion Detection / Prevention System on PFSense Firewall
Security Onion
Security onion

Similar to Hacker tool talk: kismet (20)

PDF
Hacker tool talk: kismet
PPT
ethical hacking in wireless-hacking1.ppt
PPT
cyber forensics-ethical hacking- wireless-hacking.ppt
PPT
Nomura UCCSC 2009
PPTX
You think your WiFi is safe?
PPTX
Hacker tooltalk: Social Engineering Toolkit (SET)
PPS
Workshop on Wireless Security
PPS
Sheetal - Wirelesss Hacking - ClubHack2008
PPTX
Securitytools
PPTX
DevLink - WiFu: You think your wireless is secure?
PDF
Pentesting Your Own Wireless Networks, June 2011 Issue
PDF
Ntxissacsc5 red 1 &amp; 2 basic hacking tools ncc group
PDF
International Conference On Electrical and Electronics Engineering
PDF
Hacking With Kali Linux A Complete Guide For Beginners To Study Basic Hacking...
PDF
Wireless Security Needs For Enterprises
PDF
Cisco SAFE_Wireless LAN Security in Depth v2
PDF
DGRZETICH_TDC531_Presentation
PDF
(Ebook) Learning Kali Linux by Ric Messier
PDF
Wireless Network Security Software Wireless Network Security Software
PDF
CSI - Poor Mans Guide To Espionage Gear
Hacker tool talk: kismet
ethical hacking in wireless-hacking1.ppt
cyber forensics-ethical hacking- wireless-hacking.ppt
Nomura UCCSC 2009
You think your WiFi is safe?
Hacker tooltalk: Social Engineering Toolkit (SET)
Workshop on Wireless Security
Sheetal - Wirelesss Hacking - ClubHack2008
Securitytools
DevLink - WiFu: You think your wireless is secure?
Pentesting Your Own Wireless Networks, June 2011 Issue
Ntxissacsc5 red 1 &amp; 2 basic hacking tools ncc group
International Conference On Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Hacking With Kali Linux A Complete Guide For Beginners To Study Basic Hacking...
Wireless Security Needs For Enterprises
Cisco SAFE_Wireless LAN Security in Depth v2
DGRZETICH_TDC531_Presentation
(Ebook) Learning Kali Linux by Ric Messier
Wireless Network Security Software Wireless Network Security Software
CSI - Poor Mans Guide To Espionage Gear

More from Chris Hammond-Thrasher (11)

PPTX
Alice and bob: Love & the most important crypto on the net
PPTX
Six health privacy experiments that should *NEVER* be caried out
PPTX
Spiritualists, magicians and security vendors
PPTX
hackers vs suits
PPT
Introduction to Green IT
PPTX
Hacker tool talk: maltego
ODP
Open Source Library Software
ODP
Infosec Workshop - PacINET 2007
PDF
Popular GIS: a webliography
ODP
PPT
How hackers do it
Alice and bob: Love & the most important crypto on the net
Six health privacy experiments that should *NEVER* be caried out
Spiritualists, magicians and security vendors
hackers vs suits
Introduction to Green IT
Hacker tool talk: maltego
Open Source Library Software
Infosec Workshop - PacINET 2007
Popular GIS: a webliography
How hackers do it

Recently uploaded (20)

PDF
Architecting across the Boundaries of two Complex Domains - Healthcare & Tech...
PDF
Mobile App Security Testing_ A Comprehensive Guide.pdf
PDF
TokAI - TikTok AI Agent : The First AI Application That Analyzes 10,000+ Vira...
PPTX
Programs and apps: productivity, graphics, security and other tools
PDF
Diabetes mellitus diagnosis method based random forest with bat algorithm
PPTX
Detection-First SIEM: Rule Types, Dashboards, and Threat-Informed Strategy
PDF
MIND Revenue Release Quarter 2 2025 Press Release
PDF
Build a system with the filesystem maintained by OSTree @ COSCUP 2025
PDF
NewMind AI Weekly Chronicles - August'25 Week I
DOCX
The AUB Centre for AI in Media Proposal.docx
PDF
Agricultural_Statistics_at_a_Glance_2022_0.pdf
PDF
The Rise and Fall of 3GPP – Time for a Sabbatical?
PDF
Peak of Data & AI Encore- AI for Metadata and Smarter Workflows
PPTX
MYSQL Presentation for SQL database connectivity
PPT
“AI and Expert System Decision Support & Business Intelligence Systems”
PPTX
Effective Security Operations Center (SOC) A Modern, Strategic, and Threat-In...
PDF
Blue Purple Modern Animated Computer Science Presentation.pdf.pdf
PDF
Chapter 3 Spatial Domain Image Processing.pdf
PPTX
sap open course for s4hana steps from ECC to s4
PDF
Dropbox Q2 2025 Financial Results & Investor Presentation
Architecting across the Boundaries of two Complex Domains - Healthcare & Tech...
Mobile App Security Testing_ A Comprehensive Guide.pdf
TokAI - TikTok AI Agent : The First AI Application That Analyzes 10,000+ Vira...
Programs and apps: productivity, graphics, security and other tools
Diabetes mellitus diagnosis method based random forest with bat algorithm
Detection-First SIEM: Rule Types, Dashboards, and Threat-Informed Strategy
MIND Revenue Release Quarter 2 2025 Press Release
Build a system with the filesystem maintained by OSTree @ COSCUP 2025
NewMind AI Weekly Chronicles - August'25 Week I
The AUB Centre for AI in Media Proposal.docx
Agricultural_Statistics_at_a_Glance_2022_0.pdf
The Rise and Fall of 3GPP – Time for a Sabbatical?
Peak of Data & AI Encore- AI for Metadata and Smarter Workflows
MYSQL Presentation for SQL database connectivity
“AI and Expert System Decision Support & Business Intelligence Systems”
Effective Security Operations Center (SOC) A Modern, Strategic, and Threat-In...
Blue Purple Modern Animated Computer Science Presentation.pdf.pdf
Chapter 3 Spatial Domain Image Processing.pdf
sap open course for s4hana steps from ECC to s4
Dropbox Q2 2025 Financial Results & Investor Presentation

Hacker tool talk: kismet

  • 1. Hacker tool talk: Kismet CIPS Edmonton Dinner Meeting – October 2011 “Security through knowledge” Chris Hammond-Thrasher chris.hammond-thrasher <at> ca.fujitsu.com Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab October 2011 Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 1
  • 2. • Network: Fool-open • http://kismet.nfshost.com/ Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 2
  • 3. Agenda • Why are we here? • Setting up a wireless security lab • About Kismet • Installing Kismet • Kismet demo • What’s next? Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 3
  • 4. Why are we here? Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 4
  • 5. Ethics and motives “Every single scam in human history has worked for one key reason; the victim did not recognize it as a scam.” - R. Paul Wilson Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 5
  • 6. Setting up a wireless security lab Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 6
  • 7. Wireless security lab reqs • It’s actually pretty easy to setup – Wireless access point (AP) • Recommendation: Almost any will do – Attack/dev box • Wireless card and driver that supports packet injection • On Windows there is only one choice: AirPCAP from CACE (starting at US $200) • PCAP compliant network packet analyzer • Aircrack-ng wireless cracking and audit suite • Recommendation: OS: Backtrack Linux, Packet tool: Wireshark, H/W: ALFA AWUS36H for 802.11b/g (~$40) – Target box • Wireless card and driver compatible with your AP – Logging/monitoring box (Optional) • Wireless card and driver that supports monitor mode Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 7
  • 8. Choices • If you have a shortage of hardware, you can employ virtualization to cut down on the number of boxes in your lab. However,VMs can only use USB wireless cards. • Booting from a Backtrack DVD or other bootable device is often the best option for the attack/dev box; it has Kismet and drivers for many wireless chipsets. Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 8
  • 9. Caution • Unless your lab is in a rural area or in a Faraday cage, there will be innocent networks within range of your equipment • You are welcome to attack your own equipment, but attacking others’ networks without permission is potentially illegal Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 9
  • 10. About Kismet Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 10
  • 11. History • Kismet is one of the longest running and most successful open source wireless tool projects – dates back to the early 2000s • The Kismet project is lead by Dragorn (aka Mike Kershaw) • It was originally created to fill a void for an affordable full featured wireless scanner • Kismet-newcore is the recently released total rewrite of Kismet • Kismet-newcore is included in the latest Backtrack 4 release Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 11
  • 12. Features • Kismet is a passive 802.11a/b/g/n network sniffer (assuming you have the right drivers and hardware) • Broad support for wireless chip sets and reliable driver auto- detection • ncurses interface • GPS integration (+ Google Earth KML mapping tool) • Packet capture • Wireless protocol dissection and analysis • Some wireless IDS features • Can be deployed in a distributed architecture with remote sensors (drones) linked to a central console • Extensible plug-in framework (WEP crack and DECT sniffing via plug-ins) • Free (as in beer and speech) Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 12
  • 13. Kismet vs. others • Kismet passively monitors wireless networks – it never transmits – Cannot be detected – Can see non-beaconing networks if they are in use – Recovers cloaked SSIDs by listening to connection handshakes • Stumblers broadcast probes and listen for responses – Can be detected – Find many networks faster – Cannot find non-beaconing networks – Cannot recover cloaked SSIDs – Cannot packet capture Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 13
  • 14. Legit uses of Kismet • Site survey planning and measurement – "Do we have enough coverage?“ • Security auditing – "Does the network comply with policy?“ • Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Assessment – "What opportunities are there to exploit the network?“ • Security Monitoring and IDS Analysis – "Is someone attacking my network?" Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 14 Props to Josh Wright for this slide
  • 15. h4X0r$ • Undetectable eavesdropping – “Do you have unencrypted data on the airwaves?” • Undetectable WEP cracking (with plug-in) – “Do you ‘protect’ your data with the worst encryption protocol ever published by the IEEE?”* • Undetectable reconnaissance in advance of another attack – “Do you reveal any vulnerabilities that I can exploit?” * Bill Arbaugh of the University of Maryland Computing Science department uses WEP as an example of how not to design a cryptographic protocol. Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 15
  • 16. Installing Kismet Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 16
  • 17. Choices • Easiest: Get latest Backtrack (BT5R1 right now) http://www.backtrack-linux.org/downloads/ • Linux power user: Use your distro’s package manager to install the latest binary sudo apt-get install kismet • Windows power user (with AirPCAP adaptor): Get the latest win32 installer from the Kismet site http://www.cacetech.com/downloads.html • Developer: Get latest snapshot from svn and compile with gcc svn co https://www.kismetwireless.net/code/svn/trunk kismet cd kismet ./configure --prefix=/opt && make && make install Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 17
  • 18. Kismet demo Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 18
  • 19. Kismet demo • Starting it up • Tour through Kismet screens • Eavesdropping on open networks • [Cracking WEP keys] Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 19
  • 20. What’s next Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 20
  • 21. Learn more • Read Josh Wright’s much better (but slightly dated) intro to Kismet http://www.willhackforsushi.com/presentations/budget-wireless- assessment-newcore.pdf • Read Josh Wright’s book https://www.amazon.ca/Hacking-Exposed-Wireless-Second- Johnny/dp/0071666613/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1291838235&sr=8-8 Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 21
  • 22. Act locally • At home – Turn on WPA2 PSK using a strong password – Try using Kismet on your laptop to determine your home network range – note that the range at which you can listen to your network is different from the range at which you can connect to your network – Use Kismet to audit your community league, church, friend’s store, parents’ networks to make sure they are configured securely Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 22
  • 23. Act locally • At home – Watch your network for high volumes of retransmitted packets – this may indicate interference from nearby networks or other wireless devices (or your microwave) – Warwalk your neighborhood to determine the channel with the least interference for your home network – Use Kismet to help diagnose wireless network connectivity issues Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 23
  • 24. Final Thoughts • SSID broadcast: yes or no? • SSID cloaking? • MAC address filtering? • Understanding Open vs WEP vs WPA2* * The EFF advocates for Open - https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/04/open-wireless-movement Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 24
  • 26. Cryptanalysis Procedure Every deck has the same cards with the same letters. For the sake of fairness it is important to follow this procedure to the letter. 1. Unpack your special deck being careful to not alter the order of the cards 2. Hold the deck face down in whichever hand is the most comfortable 3. Deal exactly 24 cards off of the top of the deck face down onto the table forming a single pile 4. Riffle shuffle the two packs together *just once* (If you cannot riffle, ask for help) 5. Now deal down exactly 12 cards off the top of the deck onto the table forming a single pile 6. Do this three more times to form 4 piles 7. When your facilitator signals, look at your cards and try to use up all of your letters spelling one or more English words. Proper nouns and common acronyms are fair game. Cards labeled “space” can be used as a space between two words. Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 26
  • 27. Thank you! Want more presentations like this? Is there a particular tool or hack that you would like to see demoed? Chris Hammond-Thrasher Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab Email: chris.hammond-thrasher <at> ca.fujitsu.com Twitter: @thrashor Fujitsu Edmonton Security Lab 27