Wi-Fi Packet-Capture & Traffic Analyzer · Hacking Project

Capture and analyze 802.11 wireless traffic to dissect protocols and detect wireless attacks and misconfigurations.

**The problem**
Wireless networks broadcast into uncontrolled space, making them prime targets for eavesdropping, rogue APs, deauthentication attacks, and credential capture — yet most operators never inspect their own RF traffic. Understanding 802.11 frame structure and being able to capture and analyze wireless traffic is essential to detecting attacks and validating encryption. Without monitor-mode capture skills, wireless threats remain invisible.

**What you'll build**
Use a monitor-mode-capable adapter with the Aircrack-ng suite and Wireshark to capture 802.11 traffic, dissect management/control/data frames, and analyze handshakes and beacon behavior. Build a traffic analyzer that flags anomalies — deauth floods, rogue/evil-twin APs, hidden SSIDs — and (in a lab you own) demonstrate WPA2 handshake capture to teach why strong keys and WPA3 matter. Emphasize legal, authorized testing only.

**Objective** — Capture and analyze 802.11 wireless traffic to dissect protocols and detect wireless attacks and misconfigurations.

**Expected outcome** — A wireless capture-and-analysis toolkit/report with annotated PCAPs, detected attack signatures (deauth, rogue AP), and a defensive recommendations write-up.

**Difficulty** — Beginner-to-Intermediate — capture basics are accessible, but 802.11 frame analysis and attack detection require deeper protocol knowledge.

**Primary category** — Network Security / Wireless Security; Secondary = Penetration Testing, Network Forensics, SOC

**Security domains** — Primary = Blue Team; Secondary = Red Team, Purple Team, Security Research, Digital Forensics

**Technical focus** — 802.11 protocol analysis, monitor-mode packet capture, wireless attack detection (deauth, evil twin, rogue AP), handshake analysis, RF/spectrum awareness, PCAP dissection, encryption validation, WIDS concepts

**Core technologies** — Languages: Python (Scapy), Bash; Frameworks/Libraries: Scapy, Aircrack-ng suite; Security Tools: airodump-ng, aireplay-ng, Wireshark/tshark, Kismet, hcxdumptool; Cloud/Infra: monitor-mode WLAN adapter, Linux (Kali), isolated test AP; AI/Data: PCAP feature extraction, anomaly scoring; Databases: SQLite for capture metadata

**Where it's valued** — Enterprise wireless/network teams, pen-test/red-team firms, retail and hospitality (dense Wi-Fi), critical infrastructure, IoT

**Careers it builds toward** — Wireless Security Engineer, Network Security Analyst, Penetration Tester, SOC Analyst, Network Forensics Analyst

**Framework alignment**
• MITRE ATT&CK: Network Sniffing (T1040), Adversary-in-the-Middle (T1557), Network Denial of Service (T1498 — deauth flooding), Rogue Wi-Fi/evil-twin relates to Hardware/Network additions (T1200) and AiTM; Gather Victim Network Information (T1590, reconnaissance)
• NIST CSF 2.0: Detect (DE.CM continuous monitoring, DE.AE), Protect (PR.IR, PR.DS data-in-transit protection via encryption validation), Identify (ID.RA)
• OWASP: N/A for Web; relevant to MASVS-NETWORK (secure mobile network communications) when analyzing mobile Wi-Fi traffic
• CIS Controls v8: 12 (Network Infrastructure Management), 13 (Network Monitoring and Defense), 1 (Inventory — rogue device detection), 3 (Data Protection)

**Innovation** — Improved Existing Solution — wireless capture is well-trodden, but an automated attack-detection analyzer (a mini WIDS) adds genuine engineering value. Scores: Innovation 5/10, Startup 4/10, Enterprise-Readiness 6/10, Patent = No.