There are three commands to put the interface into monitor mode that turn off the interface so we can change its settings, set it into monitor mode, then tuen the interface back up: sudo ip link set wlan0 down sudo iw wlan0 set monitor none sudo ip link set wlan0 up If you are using a VM - please be sure to read this article as well: This is usually related to whether you are using a virtual machine and/or whether you have a dedicated wireless interface for the machine. From the comments and questions at the end of the article, I have noticed a common thread. That is fine, just replace any command below that has wlan0 with whatever you system calls the WLAN/Wi-Fi interface.Īnother note: If you do not see the wlan0 interface, then you have a problem. We also see that the interface is in "managed" mode, meaning it is operating as a station (the other options here would be monitor or ad-hoc or master).Ī note here: some systems will use a different name for the WLAN/Wi-Fi interface like “wlp5s0” instead on “wlan0”.
The output tells us that the Wi-Fi interface is called "wlan0" and in my case the MAC address is "b2:79:47:a2:a0:54". Start by making sure the system recognizes the Wi-Fi interface: sudo iw dev
To use it, you may need to first run "apt update" followed by "apt install realtek-rtl88xxau-dkms" which will install the needed drivers to enable packet injection.Īircrack-ng also lists a few cards as best in class on its site, so if you're interested in more suggestions, check it out (some of the ones listed above are also on its list). It's one of the newest offerings that are compatible with Kali.
Trust me - way too many DO NOT support monitor mode. This means that you need to get an external Wi-Fi interface that does.
So let’s digress a little for those folks. If you cannot get the interface into Monitor Mode, then that means the interface probably does not support monitor mode.
Lastly, before we gat started, if you are using Linux as a VM, I suggest you also read: In a sense, I am trying to cover all bases to get these commands to work for you. Furthermore, not all commands require sudo privilege escalation. As root, I do not really even need to use the ‘sudo’ command as shown. This is not recommended by some for security reasons. I will also mention that I am logged in as root in the example screenshots. In this article I am using Kali Linux (which is Debian based). This article shows that there are three ways to put your Wi-Fi adapter into monitor mode in Linux! Three! So let's jump in. That said, sometimes the information can be contradicting or confusing. If you are like me, you count on the Internet to help with how to's especially when using Linux. Our Udemy course on Wireless Packet capture
Our Wireless custom profile for Wireshark 5 of 5 - 13 votes Thank you for rating this article.Ĭheck out these great references as well: