Which tool is commonly used for cracking WEP and WPA-PSK wireless networks?

Which tool is commonly used for cracking WEP and WPA-PSK wireless networks?

• A. Aircrack-ng
• B. Nmap
• C. Metasploit
• D. Hydra

Answer: (A)

Cracking wireless network passwords hinges on tools that work directly with 802.11 traffic and the way WEP and WPA-PSK derive keys. Aircrack-ng is a specialized wireless security auditing toolset that fits this need precisely. It combines packet capture and injection with cracking capabilities. For WEP, it uses the large set of captured IVs to perform statistical analyses and recover the key. For WPA-PSK, it captures the 4-way handshake when a client connects and then applies a dictionary or brute-force attack against the captured handshake to find the pre-shared key. This focused functionality makes Aircrack-ng the standard choice for testing these wireless vulnerabilities. Nmap is a network discovery and port-scanning tool, not designed for cracking Wi‑Fi keys. Metasploit is an exploitation framework used to take advantage of vulnerabilities, not to crack WPA/WEP credentials. Hydra specializes in brute-forcing passwords for online services, not in offline WPA/WEP key recovery. To mitigate these risks, use strong, unique passphrases with WPA2/WPA3, and avoid WEP altogether.

Cracking wireless network passwords hinges on tools that work directly with 802.11 traffic and the way WEP and WPA-PSK derive keys. Aircrack-ng is a specialized wireless security auditing toolset that fits this need precisely. It combines packet capture and injection with cracking capabilities. For WEP, it uses the large set of captured IVs to perform statistical analyses and recover the key. For WPA-PSK, it captures the 4-way handshake when a client connects and then applies a dictionary or brute-force attack against the captured handshake to find the pre-shared key. This focused functionality makes Aircrack-ng the standard choice for testing these wireless vulnerabilities.

Nmap is a network discovery and port-scanning tool, not designed for cracking Wi‑Fi keys. Metasploit is an exploitation framework used to take advantage of vulnerabilities, not to crack WPA/WEP credentials. Hydra specializes in brute-forcing passwords for online services, not in offline WPA/WEP key recovery. To mitigate these risks, use strong, unique passphrases with WPA2/WPA3, and avoid WEP altogether.