Kismet (software)

Infobox Software
name = Kismet


caption = Kismet 2.7.1
developer = Mike Kershaw (dragorn)
latest_release_version = 2008-05-R1
latest_release_date = release date and age|2008|05|29
operating_system = Cross-platform
genre = Packet Sniffer
license = GPL
website = [http://www.kismetwireless.net/ www.kismetwireless.net]

Kismet is a network detector, packet sniffer, and intrusion detection system for 802.11 wireless LANs. Kismet will work with any wireless card which supports raw monitoring mode, and can sniff 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g traffic. The program runs under Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, and Mac OS X. The client can also run on Windows, although, aside from external drones, there's only one supported wireless hardware available as packet source.

Distributed under the GNU General Public License, [cite web|url=http://www.kismetwireless.net/documentation.shtml|title=Kismet Readme|publisher=kismetwireless.net|accessdate=2008-02-22] Kismet is free software.

Features

Kismet is unlike most other wireless network detectors in that it works passively. This means that without sending any loggable packets, it is able to detect the presence of both wireless access points and wireless clients, and associate them with each other.

Kismet also includes basic wireless IDS features such as detecting "active" wireless sniffing programs including NetStumbler, as well as a number of wireless network attacks.

Kismet has the ability to log all sniffed packets and save them in a tcpdump/Wireshark or Airsnort compatible fileformat.

To find as many networks as possible, kismet supports channelhopping. This means that it constantly changes from channel to channel non-sequentially, in a user-defined sequence with a default value that leaves big holes between channels (for example 1-6-11-2-7-12-3-8-13-4-9-14-5-10). The advantage with this method is that it will capture more packets because adjacent channels overlap.

Kismet also supports logging of the geographical coordinates of the network if the input from a GPS receiver is additionally available.

Server/drone/client infrastructure

Kismet has three separate parts. A "drone" can be used to collect packets, and then pass them on to a "server" for interpretation. A server can either be used in conjunction with a drone, or on its own, interpreting packet data, and extrapolating wireless information, and organizing it. The "client" communicates with the server and displays the information the server collects.

See also

* KisMAC (for MacOS X)

References

External links

* [http://www.kismetwireless.net/ Official Website]