Performing WiFi Password Cracking with Aircrack-ng

When to Use

• Assessing the strength of WPA/WPA2/WPA3 passphrases during authorized wireless penetration tests
• Testing whether wireless networks are using weak or default passwords that can be cracked offline
• Capturing and analyzing 4-way handshakes to evaluate wireless authentication security
• Demonstrating the risks of WEP, weak WPA2 passphrases, and PMKID-based attacks to stakeholders
• Validating that enterprise wireless networks use 802.1X/EAP instead of pre-shared keys

Do not use against wireless networks without explicit written authorization, for disrupting wireless communications, or for capturing handshakes of networks you do not have permission to test.

Prerequisites

• Written authorization specifying in-scope SSIDs and wireless networks
• Wireless adapter with monitor mode and packet injection support (Alfa AWUS036ACH, Alfa AWUS036ACM, or similar)
• Kali Linux with aircrack-ng suite, hashcat, and hcxtools installed
• Password wordlists (rockyou.txt, SecLists, or custom organization-specific lists)
• GPU-capable system for hashcat acceleration (optional but recommended for large wordlists)