WiFi - Wardriving

[Resheph]

Wardriving is when an attacker drives around in an area with a computer or mobile phone that has wireless capabilities and software designed to detect wireless clients and access points. What makes this type of attack possible is wireless detection software that has the ability to listen for beacons of a wireless network or send a probe request designed to detect any present network. Once a network has been detected, it can be singled out for later attack. When wardriving, the location of an access point is often recorded in a database using a Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation device. Other information such as what encryption the access point is currently using may also be stored in that same database.
Wireless detection tools are also known as site survey tools and are both used by hackers and administrators form larger corporations who have a need to optimize the wireless infrastructure and find areas with poor coverage as well as detect rogue access points.

Similar terms exists such as

• Warflying - The use of a small plane or drone for collecting information about nearby access points.
• Warballooning - The use of a balloon for collecting information about nearby access points.
• Warwalking - Walking the vicinity or through buildings with detection equipment in a backpack.

Warchalking involves the placement of symbols in locations where wireless signals were detected. These symbols tell the passersby that a wireless network is nearby and provide data such as if the access point is open or not, security settings, channel and name.