Wardriving

Glossary

What is Wardriving?

Wardriving is a technique used by hackers to obtain information from insecure Wi-Fi networks. A threat actor may exploit a susceptible wireless network and execute cyberattacks on its subscribers.

Wardriving is a cybersecurity method cybercriminals use to trace and map the locations of wireless access points that hackers may readily exploit. These networks are typically either not password protected or use ineffective, out-of-date security procedures.

To find susceptible networks, the hackers drive about a region in a car, attempting to acquire Wi-Fi network information on a laptop, computer or mobile device. Wardriving has become less popular in recent years, as WEP has been replaced by WPA, WPA2, and WPA3, which are increasingly robust protocols that are now present in the latest routers.

Access point mapping enables hackers to identify the locations of vulnerable networks that they can then target and infect with cyberattacks. These access points could be any wireless network, such as a public Wi-Fi hotspot in a home network or a private business.

Wardriving Operation

Wardriving works because anyone within a specific radius can detect Wi-Fi signals. If the signal originates from a network that has not been password-protected, anyone can connect to it. However, the attack is more malicious as these campaigns usually operate without the awareness of network users.

To carry out a wardriving operation, a hacker needs a mobile device with Wi-Fi connectivity. The gadget is programmed to detect any nearby Wi-Fi signals and then drives around an area, typically an urban environment such as a residential neighbourhood or a business centre.

Their device detects weak Wi-Fi networks using sophisticated software. However, the hackers will decide what to do with the stolen information.

Main components of wardriving:

  1. Wardriving software is widely utilised during wardriving activities. WiFiphisher, Aircrack, and Cain & Able may instantly find weak network security and add them to a hacker’s list or map, as well as circumvent some Wi-Fi network safeguards on the spot.
  2. Wardriving hardware is required to initiate the program described above. Smartphones, tablets, and laptops are common examples of the hackers used. These devices will be equipped with wardriving software and transported within a vehicle.

An additional antenna may be used in addition to the device on which the program runs. While most mobile devices have built-in antennae for picking up Wi-Fi signals, some wardrivers connect their devices to more powerful external antennas, which increase the region over which they can pick up signals.

Wardriving Examples

Wardriving can be used for a variety of reasons and methods. Here are some cases of wardriving.

  1. Home network wardriving—One example of wardriving is a threat actor seeking out home routers that have not been properly secured. This form of wardriving is commonly seen in residential neighbourhoods.
  2. Corporate network warfare—Another type of wardriving involves the attacker mapping susceptible Wi-Fi networks in corporations and corporate organisations. In this type of wardriving, hackers may be hunting for guest networks that are purposefully left open for anybody to use but can be exploited to gain access to more privileged networks.
  3. Bluetooth wardriving—Hackers can use wardriving to spot devices with vulnerable Bluetooth that has the pairing feature enabled, allowing them to perform bluesnarfing attacks on those devices. However, this approach is less popular than wardriving for Wi-Fi access points.

Impacts of Wardriving

Wardriving may occur if your router is not adequately secured and when outside entities can easily pick it up from a residence or office.

Hackers who obtain access to an unsecured or vulnerable network can monitor other users’ activities and steal information. Hence, they can then use this potentially stolen information to launch various cybercriminal activities, such as phishing attacks, hacking internet accounts, transmitting malware, or committing identity theft.

How can iZOOlogic help my Company or Organisation?

Find out how iZOOlogic can protect against Wardriving attacks through our Incident Response services.

To find out more about how iZOOlogic can help protect your company’s cyber security, schedule a demo.