All Questions
73 questions
88
votes
4
answers
21k
views
Does the length of a password for Wi-Fi affect speed?
I work at a place that gives Wi-Fi to all the customers, with a password that is 19 characters long. A customer came in and claimed that because the password is long, it slows down the internet speed. ...
- 561
69
votes
9
answers
31k
views
Why isn't open WiFi encrypted?
As far as I understand, WiFi networks that require no password send traffic through the air unencrypted. Those that require a password encrypt each connection uniquely, even if they're all using the ...
- 2,764
64
votes
3
answers
17k
views
Why does Windows store Wi-Fi passwords in a reversible format?
Running
netsh wlan export profile key=clear
in PowerShell will dump your current stored Wi-Fi settings, including the password, into xml files inside of whatever directory you are currently in.
Why ...
- 741
40
votes
7
answers
114k
views
Somebody hacked my router and changed my wifi SSID
One of my neighbours hacked the password of my router and he uses my limited internet package. I change the wifi SSID almost daily, but he can hack it easily.
Today, he changed the SSID to a hate ...
- 539
40
votes
5
answers
10k
views
Security impact of using a public password for free WiFi
We have a WiFi network that we want to be public and free.
Does having a password that is known to everyone provide any additional security advantage to the people using this network as opposed to ...
- 625
32
votes
6
answers
94k
views
Recommend Length for Wi-FI PSK?
I currently have a network set up with WPA2 and AES encryption, the password is 8 characters long but was randomly generated and contains no dictionary words. However I'm concerned about the ...
- 423
23
votes
3
answers
96k
views
Four-way Handshake in WPA-Personal (WPA-PSK)
Can someone explain to me in what consists the Four-way Handshake in WPA-Personal (WPA with Pre-Shared Key), which informations are being sent between AP and client, how is it possible to find the AP ...
- 399
16
votes
7
answers
39k
views
Is a longer WiFi password more secure?
Today I had to type the same password to connect to a WPA2-secured WiFi network several times, and got really annoyed with the length of the password. Especially since it is just a phrase repeated ...
- 263
12
votes
5
answers
947
views
How should I tell an organisation that they are vulnerable when I wasn't given permission to check?
I was recently at a village hall (in the UK), some distance from where I live, for a party. I noticed that they had unsecured wi-fi with an SSID of NETGEAR. I assumed it was free wi-fi for users of ...
- 121
12
votes
3
answers
9k
views
Is it possible to speed up WPA/WPA2-PSK cracking using a rogue AP?
We know that WPA/WPA2-PSK uses a PTK (Pairwise Transient Key) for each client to encrypt the communication. This PTK is generated through the process known as 4-way handshake. As told in the related ...
- 223
12
votes
1
answer
41k
views
How long to brute-force WPA password?
Bob has a password (for his WPA encrypted wifi) which is 8 characters, all lowercase, and not a dictionary word.
Eve lives next door to Bob and wants to illegally hack his WPA. The number of ...
- 2,084
12
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Why do Android and iOS not let users view wifi passwords?
On Windows, admin users can view saved wifi passwords. I know that by rooting the device, it is possible to view them on Android and iOS, but usually, rooting is simply not an option. So, why don't ...
- 221
11
votes
5
answers
2k
views
My ISP shows my WiFi password on their public site in plain text. Should I be worried?
I recently noticed that when logged into my ISPs (Spectrum) public, external site that can be accessed outside my network, I can see my home network's WPA2 password in plain text.
This clearly means ...
10
votes
4
answers
3k
views
How does Comcast know my WiFi password?
How does Comcast know my WiFi password? I generated it via KeePass and entered it into my Arris router/cable modem myself, and I bought the router used from a friend. When I went to the account web ...
- 1,788
9
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Can hand/finger movements be determined via changes in WiFi signal strength?
On a password generator website I came across the following claim among a list of security tips:
If there are WIFI routers in your home, then it's possible to know the passwords you typed (in your ...
- 201
7
votes
7
answers
34k
views
How to choose a good (and easy to use) WiFi password?
Over the last few months I have had to enter WiFi passwords into smart phones, TVs, printers, etc. None of these have real keyboard and they make it hard to enter long passwords or passwords that ...
- 641
7
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Dictionary Attack on Wifi
I know a few people with pretty weak passwords. What kind of systems exist to prevent dictionary attacks? Would it make sense to restrict the number of connection attempts in a certain timeframe?
...
- 1,411
7
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is a public known password protected Wifi more secure than one without a password?
When connecting to a public Wifi from a café for example, some don't use a password and some do. If they do use a password it is often publicly known to everybody around.
Does having a password on ...
- 173
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Why are WPA2 passwords longer than 16 bytes more secure than 16 byte passwords?
In this good Information Security StackExchange question, the answers reveal that a long WPA2-PSK password does not degrade performance of the network. The reasoning is that the password itself is ...
- 3,174
5
votes
1
answer
10k
views
How can I decrypt traffic on a WEP encrypted network?
Let's say that I am connected to a WEP Access Point and I want to sniff all wireless traffic inside that network. How can I decrypt the traffic even though I don't have the cryptographic key?
I found ...
- 53
5
votes
1
answer
419
views
Why don't WiFi networks tell you that you have the wrong password?
On my Ubuntu if I enter the incorrect password for a WiFi, there is a brief pause and then I am prompted to enter it again. With the identical dialogue. I noticed the same, or similar behavior with ...
- 337
5
votes
4
answers
2k
views
How important is it for WiFi passwords to be secure?
Anecdotally, I've noticed that many people's WiFi passwords (based on visiting their homes, etc.) don't seem terribly secure; they're usually fairly short and don't always contains numbers or special ...
- 151
4
votes
1
answer
796
views
Is it really true that Google knows most of the worlds wifi passwords
Computer World is reporting that Android devices phoning home have given Google a database with almost every wifi password in the world to it. Is this groundless hysteria, or a genuine concern?
If ...
4
votes
2
answers
2k
views
I tried to break my WiFi: is 8 uppercase letter strong enough?
My Wi-Fi WPA-PSK password looked pretty weak: 8 uppercase letter. I have checked with another router from the same provider and the pattern is the same.
To see how weak this is I tried to hack it ...
- 143
4
votes
3
answers
780
views
What are the security implications of phone based keyless entry systems?
I have just been reading about Lockitron which promises to provide phone based keyless entry for the home. As great an idea as this sounds it strikes me that it could come along with some very serious ...
- 2,782
4
votes
2
answers
12k
views
Should I set different passwords for different Wi-Fi bands?
My new router supports both the 2.4 and the 5 Ghz bands, and it obviously allows me to set a different password for each of them.
Now, since cracking just one of the two means that the attacker would ...
- 1,947
3
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Should we block all plaintext authentication and require authentication over an encrypted channel?
Should we configure our servers to require the authentication happen over an encrypted channel and block all methods of unencrypted, plaintext authentication over?
I recently configured my servers to ...
3
votes
2
answers
2k
views
How is WEP/WPA2 key derived?
When I was a kid, WEP had a 40 bit key. Later, they came out with a 128-bit key. But as we all know, WEP was so badly-designed that the RC4 key length didn't really matter much.
Ignoring this, my ...
- 1,575
3
votes
1
answer
4k
views
How to find out Wi-Fi password with dictionary attack without connecting to the Wi-Fi?
I have some specific problem. Is there any possibility how to find out Wi-Fi password with dictionary attack without connecting to the Wi-Fi?
I need it for my bachelor thesis, where I am using ...
- 31
2
votes
2
answers
901
views
Can your internet provider monitor your data (passwords, etc?)
Was typing in my password into an HTTPS website when I started to wonder if my home WiFi (whether a neighbor could have hacked into and monitoring it) is secure.
When I type in
Username123
Password123
...
- 533
2
votes
2
answers
483
views
Wifi Sniffing Prevention
I share my wifi with my brother. Recently I came to know he is sniffing on my browsing. Is there a way I can prevent him from sniffing on my browsing?
PS: I can't afford VPN.
- 121
2
votes
1
answer
27k
views
Why it does not matter whether you type HEX or ASCII as WEP WiFi password?
I know that I can pass password in HEX as a keyphrase to WiFi network using WEP encryption as well as ASCII. But somehow you cannot get the ASCII when you only know HEX value.
Can anyone explain the ...
- 157
2
votes
3
answers
225
views
Why does having default router credentials pose a risk? [duplicate]
When I got to 192.168.0.1/login I am greeted with my router login page and can go change some settings. Now let's say I still have the factory default login something like "admin", "...
2
votes
1
answer
278
views
Login on public Wi-Fi networks using HTTPS [duplicate]
Is it safe to log in to my e-mail account with my iPad's Safari through a public Wi-Fi network (let's suppose someone is eavesdropping the traffic) provided that the e-mail provider uses HTTPS?
- 1,159
2
votes
1
answer
834
views
Is there a way to identify the location of a person trying to intrude your wifi network? my wifi router is picking up his attempts
Aug 30 20:28:09 dropbear[6799]: Child connection from ::ffff:5.10.69.82:38463
Aug 30 20:28:11 dropbear[6799]: login attempt for nonexistent user from ::ffff:5.10.69.82:38463
Aug 30 20:28:12 dropbear[...
2
votes
2
answers
711
views
"Sniffing" Wifi Password? [duplicate]
I wonder if the follwing is possible:
Assume you want to gain access to the AP "ap".
Isn't it possible to set up a hotspot with the same BSSID, so that clients think that you are ap and send the ...
- 33
2
votes
1
answer
678
views
How can wireless router password encrypts data using WEP and WPA
How does the password that we enter (to connect to a wireless network) encrypt the data on the wireless network?
Through my reading I am not sure if the password that we enter is the same as the ...
- 121
2
votes
1
answer
240
views
Do Xfinity hotspots require passwords?
There's a Xfinity hotspot(xfinitywifi)that I see on my phone that I occasionally use for reasons but lately it has been acting up so I contacted Xfinity customer support. They asked for some stuff ...
- 21
2
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Emails on iOS and public Wifi
On iOS, you enter your password, once, and you can then check your emails via the email app.
Does the app send the password everytime it updates your email?
Is it secure to check your emails this ...
- 343
2
votes
0
answers
623
views
For cloud-based password managers, is it safe to login using public WiFi?
For cloud-based password managers, is it safe to login when using public WiFi?
To help get good answers to this question, let's define 3 terms:
Cloud-based password managers = Password managers such ...
- 3,174
2
votes
3
answers
167
views
How To Protect My Personal University Account from an SSID spoofed AP? [duplicate]
On our campus, there are WiFi routers almost everywhere (at least inside buildings) but some areas definitely have a spottier connection, since the campus is quite large and there are many big open ...
- 121
1
vote
2
answers
3k
views
What would be the most efficient way of brute forcing a wifi key [duplicate]
I was wondering how can a brut force of my wifi be prevented so I want to know the best technique that can be used to brute force it first, so protection isn't my question. My question is: What brute ...
- 157
1
vote
1
answer
1k
views
Where are wifi passwords stored? [duplicate]
I'm looking for technical details on how Windows, Linux, and macOS all store the SSIDs and passwords for every wireless network you've ever connected to. I've tried searching for this, but my Google-...
- 777
1
vote
2
answers
2k
views
How secure are the default, randomized passwords that ISP routers come with?
Did a little searching an could not find an answer to this. A lot of ISPs these days are providing combination router/modem units, and they come with a pre-configured password that is a random string ...
- 254
1
vote
2
answers
7k
views
Is it possible to change the wifi password with a script? [closed]
I was wondering if it is possible to change the password for a wifi with a script instead of having to log-in to the routers firmware?
- 161
1
vote
2
answers
360
views
Do WiFi passwords remain accessible significantly after logging in?
"... they'll go to the taskbar and look at the properties of the WiFi
router to get the password."
is a quote from another question on this site, and is in the context of WiFi passwords.
The ...
user49075
1
vote
3
answers
2k
views
Is it possible to hack into secured wifi and download with bit torrent from my IP address?
Is it possible to hack into secured wifi and download using BitTorrent from my IP address? I live in Denmark- if that makes any difference.
We changed to a new WIFI service provider a few years back (...
- 21
1
vote
1
answer
8k
views
What kind of backdoor can be made after hacking wi-fi? [closed]
I'm interested to know if A hacks B's wifi password, what can A do to gain persistent access to the router even after B changes the wifi password? Secondly, how can we detect the backdoor and patch it?...
- 867
1
vote
1
answer
2k
views
What does it mean when Reaver returns a PIN but no passphrase?
Usually when it's done, the WPA passphrase/password is listed immediately below the WPS PIN.
Any idea what it means when it's absent from the results?
I also tried entering the PIN directly, using ...
- 1,809
1
vote
1
answer
713
views
Accessing WPA/WPA2 password from native auth form on a rogue router
I'm trying to wrap my head around the WPA/WPA2 4-way handshake in an attempt to determine if it is possible for a rogue wireless access point to retrieve a plaintext (or hashed) version of a router's ...
- 135