When WiFi first came out, it was a very exciting time. The technology was new and quite insecure, especially if not configured properly. This gave rise to the practice of wardriving, which involves driving a computer around looking for insecure networks, often just for fun. [Simon] We have examined this classic practice from a modern perspective.
He’s been in this field for years. Back in the day, you’d go out with a chunky old laptop, a bunch of PCMCIA cards, and a dangling antenna. Now things have moved on a lot more, with WiFi in various frequency bands and Bluetooth devices to consider. You even need Zigbee if you’re hunting down a straggler’s house full of IoT gadgets.
Currently, he uses devices such as a Flipper Zero, a Raspberry Pi, and a Google Pixel 5 running the WiGLE WiFi Wardriving app to survey wireless environments. [Simon] If you have an Android phone, he points out that the latter is the easiest way to get started, and not only that, but there’s software and hardware out there these days that can do amazing things compared to the simpler devices of the past.
If you’re looking for free internet these days, wardriving might be a bit pointless since it’s available in just about every public building you visit. But if you’re a wireless security researcher or just want to know what your home setup is broadcasting, these tools might be worth looking into. Good luck!
