Wireless technology is everywhere, connecting our personal devices and critical industrial systems. While convenient, this pervasive connectivity also introduces significant cybersecurity risks. Understanding how wireless attacks unfold and, more importantly, how to detect them is crucial for any robust security program.
This Tech Talk breakdown dives deep into the world of wireless compromise, from the initial reconnaissance to full network infiltration. We’ll explore common attack techniques and then pivot to practical detection strategies you can implement to bolster your threat hunting efforts.
Wireless attacks often leverage the fundamental protocols of wireless communication, like 802.11, to gain unauthorized access or disrupt operations. The MITRE ATT&CK framework provides an excellent lens through which to examine these techniques.
At the initial stage, attackers often employ wireless sniffing. This involves passively monitoring wireless traffic without directly connecting to a network. By simply listening to the airwaves, an attacker can gather valuable information such as network names (SSIDs), connected devices, and even unencrypted data.
A real-world example of this occurred during the 2017 Dallas siren incidents. Attackers reportedly identified the specific radio frequencies and command messages used by the city’s emergency sirens. It’s theorized that by understanding these, they were able to broadcast rogue messages, causing the sirens to activate at will. This highlights how passive sniffing can be a critical precursor to more active manipulation. While T0867 is specific to Industrial Control Systems (ICS), the enterprise equivalent, T1040 (Network Sniffing), covers both wired and wireless environments.
Beyond passive sniffing, wireless compromise involves actively gaining unauthorized access to a wireless network. This moves beyond observation into direct interaction and exploitation.
Consider an older but impactful case from the early 2000s involving a disgruntled employee in Maroochy, Australia. This individual, armed with a stolen maintenance laptop, allegedly exploited wireless access to manipulate the town’s industrial control systems.
Another intriguing example is the Polish TV remote control train hack. In this incident, an attacker reportedly modified a standard TV remote to send commands that interfered with a train system. These cases demonstrate how an attacker, once they’ve bypassed the initial defenses, can exert significant control.
In the enterprise world, T1638, Adversary in the Middle (AiTM), is a technique where an attacker positions themselves between two communicating devices. In a wireless context, this often means an attacker intercepts traffic flowing between a client (like a laptop or smartphone) and a wireless access point. Once in this “middle” position, they can not only observe the traffic but also modify it, manipulate communications, or even inject malicious content.
For cybersecurity professionals and red teamers, understanding the tools attackers use is paramount. Aircrack-NG is a widely recognized open-source suite of tools for auditing wireless networks. It’s often found integrated into specialized hardware like HackFive Pineapples and Tetras.
Here’s a look at some key components of the Aircrack-NG suite:
Airmon-NG: This tool is essential for passive wireless monitoring. It configures a compatible wireless card into monitor mode, allowing it to capture all wireless traffic, even packets not intended for its specific MAC address. Airmon-NG also helps by identifying and terminating processes on the operating system that might interfere with packet capture.
Airodump-NG: Once your wireless card is in monitor mode, Airodump-NG allows you to capture raw 802.11 frames. These raw captures contain valuable information, including handshakes between devices and connection data. It can also geo-encode data if your device has GPS capabilities, enabling you to map out wireless activity. Airodump-NG supports various output formats, from full PCAP files to specific initialization vectors for cracking WEP/WPA keys.
Aireplay-NG: This tool shifts from passive monitoring to active interaction. A common use case is sending deauthentication (deauth) packets. These specially crafted packets, part of the 802.11 standard, instruct a client to disconnect from an access point. Attackers use this to force clients to reauthenticate, potentially revealing crucial handshakes that can then be captured. It’s important to note that modern clients are becoming more resilient to deauth attacks. Aireplay-NG can also be used to spoof other types of packets.
Aircrack-NG (the cracker): After capturing a wireless handshake (often with Airodump-NG), Aircrack-NG is used to crack the pre-shared key (PSK) for WEP, WPA, or WPA2 encrypted networks. This typically involves a dictionary attack, where the tool attempts to match the captured handshake against a large list of common passwords. The time it takes depends on the complexity of the password and the computational power available.
Here’s a summarized, four-step process illustrating a typical wireless attack:
Monitor with Airmon-NG: The attacker starts by putting their wireless card in monitor mode to observe network traffic and identify target SSIDs.
Capture Handshake: The attacker waits for a legitimate client to connect to the target network, or they might use Aireplay-NG to send deauthentication packets to force a client to reauthenticate, capturing the crucial 4-way handshake in the process.
Crack the Pre-Shared Key: Using Aircrack-NG and a large wordlist, the captured handshake is subjected to a dictionary attack to discover the network’s pre-shared key.
Connect to the Network: Once the pre-shared key is cracked, the attacker can use it to connect to the wireless network, gaining unauthorized access.
A growing challenge for attackers (and sometimes defenders) is MAC address randomization. Modern operating systems, particularly iOS and Android, can generate a different, randomized MAC address for each Wi-Fi network a device connects to. This makes it harder for attackers to track specific devices across different networks or for defenders to always identify the true manufacturer of a device based solely on its MAC address.
Detecting wireless attacks requires a multi-layered approach, combining passive monitoring with active network analysis. Here are four key strategies:
Beacon frames are a fundamental part of the 802.11 standard, used by access points to advertise their presence and network information (SSID). Attackers often deploy rogue access points that broadcast their own beacon frames to trick legitimate clients into connecting.
Detection: You can use tools like Wireshark to filter for beacon frames (wlan.fc.type_subtype == 0x08). By monitoring your physical environment for new or unexpected beacon frames, especially those with unfamiliar SSIDs, you can identify potential rogue access points. This can be automated to continuously scan your premises.
Clients send probe requests to discover available Wi-Fi networks, and access points respond with probe responses. Attackers may send out probe requests to map out networks or specific devices.
Detection: Similar to beacon frames, you can filter Wireshark captures for probe requests and responses (wlan.fc.type_subtype == 0x05 for requests and 0x06 for responses). Unexpected or frequent probe requests from unknown devices could indicate reconnaissance activity.
As discussed earlier, deauthentication packets are often used by attackers to force clients off a network and capture handshakes.
Detection: Keep an eye out for an unusual volume or sudden bursts of deauthentication packets (wlan.fc.type_subtype == 0x0c) in your wireless environment, especially if they are not expected (e.g., during scheduled maintenance or legitimate client disconnections). Unexpected deauth packets can be a strong indicator of an active attack.
Ultimately, if initial wireless-level detection methods are bypassed, traditional network monitoring becomes crucial.
Detection: Continuously monitor your network for new or unauthorized devices attempting to connect to your access points. Cross-reference new connections with your asset inventory. For corporate devices, ensure Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions are in place to track and manage their connections. Be vigilant about devices connecting to unexpected access points or at unusual times.
Protecting your wireless infrastructure is an ongoing process that involves a combination of technical controls, regular monitoring, and user awareness. By understanding the common attack vectors and implementing the detection strategies outlined above, you can significantly enhance your organization’s ability to identify and respond to wireless threats.
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