Unix Linux Wireless and WPA

Wi-Fi protected access for you Unix Linux workstation can be a bit tricky the first time you set it up.
The setup I use in my example is from Fedora and Red Hat, but it should work on most Linux flavours and some Unix distributions. Oh, you will need to have a working ieee80211_crypt module and subsystem working with you kernel. Intel Wi-Fi card owners might check out http://ipw3945.sourceforge.net/ for some excellent resources.

To start using WPA or WPA-PSK you will need wpa_supplicant implementation installed on your box.


(Red Hat and Fedora user can download the wpa_supplicant rpm from Red Hat.
Fedora Core 5 users will find the rpm here.
http://redhat.download.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/core/updates/5/i386/

# rpm -Uvh wpa_supplicant-0.4.9-1.fc5.i386.rpm

There is even a GUI ( frontend to wpa_supplicant at the Red Hat ftp site. Same directory as the wpa_supplicant rpm.

Source code way.
Check the author to wpa_supplicant site for the source code.

http://hostap.epitest.fi/ for the source code. Read the docs unpack the tarball and install.


$ tar -zxvf wpa_supplicant-0.4.9.tar.gz
Change directory to wpa_supplicant-0.4.9
$ cd wpa_supplicant-0.4.9
To build wpa_supplicant and wpa_cli
$ make
Now you can copy the binaries wpa_cli and wpa_supplicant to /usr/local/bin for example
$ su - ( you will most likely need to be root user for this, otherwise you might need to do a local security audit of your system. :-)

# cp wpa_supplicant wpa_cli /usr/local/bin/

(# Symbol for root user)

Now you should be ready to start testing.

If you are using the ipw3945d (binary user space regularity daemon) check that it is starting ok.

# ipw3945d
ipw3945d - regulatory daemon
Copyright (C) 2005-2006 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.
version: 1.7.18

Next fire up wpa_supplicant

You will usually find the wpa_supplicant.conf file under /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

# wpa_supplicant -i eth1 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf -d
For an Intel ipw3945 based card, the driver used in this example should work.

Next you will have to edit you configuration file to include your pre shared key or certificate.

Example wpa_supplicant.conf file

ctrl_interface=/var/run/wpa_supplicant
ctrl_interface_group=wheel
#
# home network; allow all valid ciphers
network={
ssid="home"
scan_ssid=1
key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
psk="YourPassKeyGoesHere"
}

The psk= line can contain either your password in cleartext or the pre calc value of the shared key.

Then try to start and see if it can authenticate against your access point.

# wpa_supplicant -Dwext -i eth1 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

You should see something like this;
Trying to associate with XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX (SSID='YOURSID' freq=0 MHz)
XX = Mac Address of your access point
Associated with XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
WPA: Key negotiation completed with XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX [PTK=TKIP GTK=TKIP]
CTRL-EVENT-CONNECTED - Connection to XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX completed (auth)
WPA: Group rekeying completed with XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX [GTK=TKIP]

$ man wpa_supplicant (If you get stuck)
Try the -K option or -q for debugging

If everything works fine, you are ready to get an ip address to your interface.

Either statically assign or through a dchp request.

DHCP

# dhclient eth1

If you are using Fedora or Red Hat you should be able to install the rpm wpa_supplicant-0.4.9-1.fc5
# yum install wpa_supplicant

Supported wireless cards/drivers

• Linux drivers that support Linux Wireless Extensions v19 or newer with WPA/WPA2 extensions
• Host AP driver for Prism2/2.5/3 (WPA and WPA2)
• Linuxant DriverLoader with Windows NDIS driver supporting WPA/WPA2
• Agere Systems Inc. Linux Driver (Hermes-I/Hermes-II chipset) (WPA, but not WPA2)
• madwifi (Atheros ar521x)
• ATMEL AT76C5XXx
• Linux ndiswrapper
• Broadcom wl.o driver
• Intel ipw2100
• Intel ipw2200
• Intel ipw3945
  
• Wired Ethernet drivers
• BSD net80211 layer (e.g., Atheros driver) (FreeBSD 6-CURRENT and NetBSD current)
• Windows NDIS drivers (Windows; at least XP and 2000, others not tested)

One of the best wireless routers is by the way Linksys WRT300N

Linksys WRT300N Wireless-N Broadband Router

WIRELESS GARDEN SCB10 Super Cantenna 802.11b 802.11g Booster Antenna

Wireless at hot spots, Airports

Charles De Gaulle Airport 16:43

Going back after 2 1/2 day in the outskirts of Paris.
I visited the La Defense area, which is one of the big business district here.
The architecure is somewhat 60s, with a futurstic touch. The Parisiens here are much more friendly than I remember from my last visit to Paris, in 1996. Maybe it has to do with me getting older, and therefore more respect.

Waiting at the gate for the boarding to take place, I come to think about an old french cartoon I used to read in the 70s. I can really recall the name, but It was about a young office guy, who had a strange pet that got him into troubles, and as far as I can remember, the cartoon took place around the La Defense area.

Now to something completely different.

I have been in the bad habit of looking for 802.x networks for some years now, and I am still suprised by how many that is still not protected. At airports for example. If you are using the airports hot spot to let's say, check your email, bookings, bank account or whatever, all your internet traffic will go in cleartext, as the hot spots, rarely offers any encryption. I know this is for the convenience for the customers, so that they don't have to go thru the trouble setting up WEP or WPA keys, but I wonder if they are aware of the possibilty that someone can catch all their usernames and password that goes in clear text?

Orinoco Gold and Silver Wireless Cards

One of the best, or simply the best WiFi card ever made to the public, is the Orinoco Wireless PC Card.
It has an outstanding performance, and I have used it from various tasks, ranging from Warwalking, wardriving with laptops, pocket pc with pcmcia expansion kits, to working as the sole network adapter on a wireless server of mine. Besides that, it works great with a bunch of software, like Kismet, Netstumbler, Ministumbler, Airsnort, Aircrack etc.

The Orinco card has a security level that provides 802.1x authentication and encryption up to 152-bit WEP. It includes a built-in connector for an external Range Extender Antenna for longer distance connection. I have been using the Orinoco cards since late 2001, and am one really satisfied Orinoco user.
So if you are looking for a wireless card that really works, go Orinoco. Unix/Linux, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS, Pocket PC, Windows Mobile.

Super Cantenna + Linux + Kismet

Could not resist buying the Super Cantenna when visiting Defcon 14. I have been curious on how well it really works, and now I decided to give it a try. A long with the Super Cantenna I bought a new Orinoco Gold Card. I sold my previous 2 Orinoco Gold cards years ago, and I have regretted it ever since.

2006.04.R1 of Kismet with the 0.13e Orinoco driver.
The Orinoco driver installed and loaded to the kernel smoothly on a Fedora 5 with the 2.6.16 kernel.
However, remember to remove any old orinoco modules from the kernel.

# rmmod orinoco_cs
# rmmod orinoco
# rmmod hermes

Load the new modules

# modprobe orinoco
# modprobe hermes

# iwconfig ethX "your settings"

Start your wifi net warwalk, or should I say war sit?
Wardriving, warwalking, sofawardriving is really interesting. It's extremely is to set up, so give it a try. Take a look at the internet traffic that flows thru your apartment every second.



The Cantenna really rocks with Kismet and Netstumbler (Windows only).