How to find out a neighbor’s Wi-Fi password

Sometimes the owners of Wi-Fi devices are faced with the desire to connect to the wireless network of their neighbors. The reasons for this are different – from idle curiosity to not entirely honest intentions. However, a rare wireless access point is not protected by a password, without knowing which it will not be possible to connect to it. How you can find out your neighbor’s Wi-Fi password, we will tell you in this article.

In modern wireless networks, there are many types of security and encryption to protect against hacking.

Theoretical basis

Let’s start by looking at how Wi-Fi works and what types of data encryption exist. Information is transmitted “over the air”, which means that it is not difficult to get the contents of the transmitted data, since there are no obstacles to listening to the air, and the device connected to the wireless network constantly exchanges various data with the access point . It is important for us that this data contains the coveted access password, but the neighbor’s traffic is transmitted in encrypted form. It turns out that you need to intercept the data transmitted on the air, and somehow analyze it to isolate the necessary information.

A few words about protection. Today, three types of encryption are used: WEP, WPA, WPA2. WEP was the first to appear, and it is also the weakest. Hacking a network with this type of encryption is a matter of minutes, even for a layman. Alas, many people know about this and do not use it in life. Further development of technologies for protecting transmitted data led to the emergence of WPA protocols and its successor WPA2, which today is the de facto standard for protecting wireless networks, since it really protects the traffic of Wi-Fi networks well.

Let’s say the neighbors are using WEP. No matter how complex the set password is, it can be learned very quickly, since all transmitted data from neighbors contains a small part of it, and this type of encryption uses a simple algorithm with short keys. It’s completely different with WPA and WPA2. The data is encrypted using serious algorithms with a long key, and it is impossible to “calculate” the password, as in the case of WEP, you can only see its “fingerprint” – a hash. And here there is one interesting point. The hash match is recognized by the brute force method. Therefore, if a long complex password is used, containing both numbers and letters in different cases, then the matter is empty – such a search at home will take years. If the password is a simple combination like “12345678”, there is a chance of success.

Hacking a wi-fi password by guessing it

We must not forget about one more method that does not depend on the encryption used – the brute force method. The program tries to connect to the neighbor ‘s Wi-Fi network , going through passwords in turn from a dictionary that was previously suggested to it. Found a match – connected, no – we go further. The method is very slow, since there is a significant interval between password “entries”, but it can be useful for trying to find out a weak password.

An additional loophole for the attacker is the vulnerability of the WPS protocol, which was created to automate configuration. The user only enters the eight-digit pin-code indicated on the router, and the equipment independently “negotiates” how it works together. Not a bad idea, but in the initial implementation there were significant flaws, covered by manufacturers in new versions of firmware for routers.

Is there any reason?

In the remainder, we have:

  • WEP is cracked quickly regardless of the password complexity. If your wireless manager indicates to use this encryption, rest assured of success.
  • WPA / WPA2 – you can find out the password only by brute-force if there is a password hash (WPA Handshake).
  • Brute force – similar to the previous point regarding password complexity, but the search will be much slower.
  • Use WPS vulnerabilities if you come across an old router with an old firmware.

In most cases, the chances of finding out the password of neighbors to their network tend to zero. In other cases, you can try to pick up an access key from someone else’s Wi-Fi, but much depends on luck. Only you can make a decision on the expediency of spending time and effort.

Software arsenal

If you do decide to try, here are some common programs for these purposes. Android smartphone users often use Wi-Fi Hacker Ultimate, Reaver, WIBR +. No smartphone program can cope with WPA / WPA2 protection, but for other options they will be very useful. For brute force, Wi-Fi Crack is fine. There are no really working programs designed to intercept and analyze traffic for this system and are unlikely to appear. A complete and proven collection of all the necessary tools is collected in one Linux Live-CD distribution called Kali Linux. It does not require installation, it boots from both a CD and a USB flash drive. This build was designed for penetration testing and provides an extensive arsenal for hacking wireless networks, designed for the advanced user.

Afterword

We did not intend to write out step-by-step instructions for a specific program, since each of them is worthy of a separate article, but we tried to summarize information about the possibility and feasibility of trying to find out a neighbor’s Wi-Fi password , leaving the choice of the method and means to you.

by Abdullah Sam
I’m a teacher, researcher and writer. I write about study subjects to improve the learning of college and university students. I write top Quality study notes Mostly, Tech, Games, Education, And Solutions/Tips and Tricks. I am a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue.

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