Airsnort

Airsnort is a free software for recording data packets and calculation of keys in 802.11b wireless networks.

Airsnort is published by a group called "The Shmoo Group" and is available for Linux and Windows.

No direct relationship to the IDS program of the company Sourcefire Snort - despite the similar name and the acquired mascot ( Snort: a piglet with a large, snorting nose; Airsnort: the same pig with wings ).

Function

Airsnort exploits a vulnerability in the WEP encryption algorithm that was described by Scott Fluhrer, Itsik Mantin and Adi Shamir. From the radio network data packets are recorded by the software using a network card passively, from which the corresponding key is calculated. This takes a few minutes.

Upon publication of the first version on 14 August 2001 Airsnort was one of the first usable for end-users programs that exploited this vulnerability.

Meanwhile, the development of the program was discontinued.