Home network users are
also getting too complacent with their network’s security. Little
do they know that even if their Wi-Fi network is password-protected,
it can still be easily hacked and accessed by other willing internet
users. The result is a number of security risks, such as having their
personal usernames, passwords, and even online banking details
obtained. For the entrepreneurs who are using VoIP apps like
RingCentral as a way of
virtually expanding their office, there’s the risk of exposing
sensitive data and business contacts. Speed of internet connection
also suffers because of other people trying to…that is to say,
borrow their internet connection.
Ethical Hacking to Find Security Loopholes
In order to alert
internet users (whether they’re corporate users or regular home
network subscribers) about security breaches or loopholes in their
Wi-Fi networks, computer or network experts are resorting to ethical
hacking.
Ethical hacking is the
“white hat” hacking of a security system with the owners’
knowledge for the purpose of tracing vulnerabilities that any “black
hat”, or malicious hacker, can take advantage of. In other words,
it’s the permitted process of checking weaknesses in a security or
network system by trying to permeate the system as a real hacker
would.
This practice started
around the ‘70s when a group dubbed as the red team was used
by the US government to test and hack its computer systems. Since
then, ethical hacking has become a common practice even in the
private and corporate sectors. Companies like IBM have their own
teams of ethical hackers.
Ethical Hacking in the Smartphone Age
As the number of
smartphone users has increased, so did the number of public Wi-Fi
networks. Coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, and many other public
places are offering free Wi-Fi connection as a means of luring
customers in. The problem is, not all public Wi-Fi networks scanned
or detected by mobile devices are legit. Some are actually fake
networks. People behind such fake Wi-Fi networks only have one goal –
to obtain private user information such as usernames, passwords, and
bank details.
In addition to this,
private Wi-Fi networks are becoming more susceptible to piggybacking,
or the use of a Wi-Fi network without the owner’s knowledge or
consent. While the idea of piggybacking may mean using another
person’s internet connection, it doesn’t necessarily mean that
there’s the involvement of hacking. Hacking another person’s
Wi-Fi network to gain internet access, however, has become extremely
possible these days.
As already mentioned,
many home network users are clueless when it comes to their own
network’s security. Thus, Wi-Fi hacking apps on smartphones like
those available for Android users are becoming helpful tools to test
vulnerabilities in a Wi-Fi network.
Examples of Wi-Fi Hacking Android Apps
If you’re an Android
phone user, by simply typing the keyword Wi-Fi hack on the Google
Play homepage, you’re given a wide variety of Wi-Fi hacking apps in
the search results. Some of them are:
- Wifi Hacker Plus This app lets you decrypt the password of a Wi-Fi network in your area. If you need to know the password or even disable it, this is the app to use.
- Wifi Hacker Real This app can break a WPA, WEP, or WPA2 password. To use, just tap to launch the app, press the rescan button, choose a network, wait for the app to do its work, and the chosen network’s password is revealed.
- Hackers Handbook Pro Its description on Google Play says that the app “is for educational purposes only” and is “designed for security testers”. It’s an app that gives step-by-step instructions on hacking.
Though these apps allow
Android phone owners to hack other peoples’ Wi-Fi networks, it’s
advised to use them only for testing purposes and not for any
malicious activities. Should you want to use any of these apps,
inform the owner’s network about it first and show them how
vulnerable their network is.
Author’s Bio:
Henry Conrad is a 29-year-old game
developer from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Aside from gaming and being a
tech junky, he also dabbles in creative writing, which allows him to
create great storylines and backgrounds for his characters. Follow
me on Twitter and join
me in Google+
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