🧠 What Is Airodump-ng?

Airodump-ng is a tool within the Aircrack-ng suite used for monitoring wireless networks and capturing packets. It’s a key part of Wi-Fi security auditing and penetration testing.

🔍 What Does Airodump-ng Do?

• Scans nearby Wi-Fi networks
• Displays detailed info like SSID, BSSID, channel, encryption type, signal strength, and connected clients
• Captures WPA/WPA2 handshakes for password cracking
• Records WEP IVs for cracking WEP keys
• Can log GPS coordinates if a GPS receiver is connected

🛠️ How to Use Airodump-ng

1. Enable monitor mode on your wireless adapter:

   sudo airmon-ng start wlan0
   

2. Start scanning:

   sudo airodump-ng wlan0mon
   

3. Focus on a specific network:

   sudo airodump-ng --bssid <BSSID> -c <channel> -w capture wlan0mon
   

This will save captured packets to a file (capture.cap) that you can later use with aircrack-ng to attempt password cracking.

⚠️ Legal Reminder

Airodump-ng is a powerful tool meant for ethical hacking and security testing. Always ensure you have explicit permission before scanning or capturing data from any network.