How to Detect a Non-Broadcasted (Hidden) SSID in Linux and Windows

Contributed by Hack_Vista August 11, 2006  
Tagged: Internet

You think hiding your SSID is a security feature. Not really. Here are the software package we use in our environment to detect people setting up hidden wireless networks.

Our network is locked down solid. You can imagine our surprise when we found somebody who penetrated our network through a rouge wireless network somebody setup to make a conference room easier to use. Students would drive up outside at night and would make penetration attempts.

How do we and how did they detect the hidden network?

Linux users have several good options. I’ll list the two most common ones…

AirJack:
Linux users have frequently used the powerful AirJack. It is linux, hackable, but not newbie friendly. It does contain an utility, however, that will divulge the SSDI.

Kismet:
More advanced and more userfriendly is kismet. It’s linux and requires compiling, but it does anything you could want and then some.

Windows users will find it harder to find software that is capable of finding hidden SSIDs. There are two that I have seen used.

AirMagnet:
Large environments will often benefit from a dedictated commerical product to perform this sort of task. We currently use the laptop and handheld versions of AirMagnet. The demo versions available to the site are powerful enough to get anybody started.

AirSnort:
Want a free product? AirSnort works well if you can get through the painful installation.