AirSnort is a wireless LAN encryption key detection tool for Windows. The software monitors transmissions passively while calculating the encryption key by intercepting a sufficient number of data packets. In this case, the potential victim has no way to detect the operation of this program.

Scope of application

You might get the impression that this program has no legitimate use and that its only purpose is to serve as a hacking tool. However, there is the most effective way to find out what threats your wireless network is exposed to. You may do what hackers make to see if your encryption can be cracked and how long it will take.

The program will help you better secure your network, justify the need for additional protections like increased physical controls or traffic restriction, and upgrade your wireless equipment.

Launching the utility

It should be noted that the program is primarily intended for professional users. It contains three main executable files:

airsnort collects packets from a specific source, usually a wireless network card;
gencases analyzes the intercepted data to detect weak keys;
decrypt attempts to independently unlock files downloaded from another source.

After installing the program, you can launch it by typing its name in the command line. The interface of this tool is as simple as possible. A single screen displays the packets of interest and the total number of encrypted and unencrypted packages. The upper part shows the settings, such as the type of network card, etc. On the left side you can adjust some parameters, such as the span – the number of guesses the algorithm will make for each byte of the key.

Features

free to download and use;
allows pausing and resuming the process;
simple interface like MSN Hacker;
compatible with Windows;
hard to detect.