Rich's blog

I have been using an Alfa AWUS036H for some time now. it's a great USB wireless card that supports injection, monitor mode, and runs 1000mW. The problem is while I can hit just about any access point I point it at the performance is horrible. I average about 2Mb on a 40Mb cable connection. Its just not acceptable. Its great for hacking but for regular use its worthless. During my playing I noticed that the Broadcom B43 card that came in my Dell mini also supports Injection and monitor mode, I can also run it at 1000mW. The Broadcom also averages around 20Mb to 30Mb download speed on my 40Mb cable connection, which isn't bad for wireless. The problem is I can't get near the coverage that I can with my Alfa. To solve this problem I have decided to add an external antenna to my internal wireless card.

Its been popular in the media for decades to call any one who breaks a computer law a hacker. Not considering where the term came from or what it means, the term hacker has became synonymous with criminal.  This is so far from the truth that its actually ironic. Its because of hackers that computer criminals only get away with what they currently get away with. If it was not for hackers the damage caused by computer crimes would be much worse. Hackers get a bad wrap and the prejudice that hackers face in todays media bleeds over in life. It would be understandable if the only time this happened was with ignorant news casters but it actually effects everyone's perception of what we do. When I say I am a hacker most people grab their children and look at me like I am a bank robber. When they should see it for what it really is. I am not a criminal, I am a hacker. Theres a difference.

WEP, also known as Wired Equivalent Privacy is a form of encryption used in early WiFi networks. While its not recommended today they're are still a very high percentage of people still using it. As with most technology people just set it and forget it leaving a high number of under secured networks in the air waves. As always I am not recommending you try hacking your neighbors WiFi networks. This should be done with all of your own equipment.

Known as security though obscurity many people may hide there ssid's from broadcasting. Just like mac address blocking this is a worthless form of protection. There is nothing secure about hiding your SSID. Its like the wizard hiding behind the curtain. It just does not add any value to your security and like mac address blocking it adds complication with no reward. Today I am going to show you how easy it is to reveal a hidden SSID using the aircrack-ng suite. First things first. Start airdump-ng by using the following command. Replace the interface with your own.