Using the airmon-ng Command to Enable Monitor Mode on Wireless Devices (with examples)

Introduction

The airmon-ng command is a powerful tool included in the aircrack-ng suite that allows users to activate monitor mode on wireless network devices. By activating monitor mode, users gain the ability to capture and analyze wireless network traffic, making it particularly useful for network administrators, security professionals, and ethical hackers. In this article, we will explore several different use cases of the airmon-ng command, along with their corresponding code examples and explanations.

Use Case 1: Listing Wireless Devices and Their Statuses

To list all available wireless devices on your system along with their current statuses, you can use the following command:

sudo airmon-ng

Motivation

This use case is particularly helpful when you need to identify the wireless network interfaces available on your system. It allows you to determine the exact names of the interfaces, their current statuses (e.g., whether they are in monitor mode or not), and other relevant information such as chipset and driver details.

Arguments

No specific arguments are required for this use case.

Example Output

Interface    Chipset       Driver

wlan0        Intel 7265    iwlwifi - [phy0]

The output above shows that the system has one wireless network interface named wlan0. The interface is using the Intel 7265 chipset and the iwlwifi driver. Please note that the actual output may differ depending on your system configuration.

Use Case 2: Turning on Monitor Mode for a Specific Device

To enable monitor mode for a specific wireless network interface, you can use the following command:

sudo airmon-ng start wlan0

Motivation

Enabling monitor mode allows you to capture wireless network traffic, which can be incredibly valuable for various purposes such as troubleshooting network issues, analyzing wireless network security, or performing wireless network penetration testing. By starting monitor mode on a specific device, you can focus your analysis on that particular network interface.

Arguments

• start wlan0: Specifies the interface name on which to enable monitor mode. In this example, wlan0 is the name of the wireless network interface on which monitor mode will be activated.

Example Output

Found 5 processes that could cause trouble.
If airodump-ng, aireplay-ng or airtun-ng stops working after
a short period of time, you may want to kill (some of) them!
-e 
PID	Name
2398	NetworkManager
2400	wpa_supplicant
2630	dhclient
4907	dunst
5107	dwmstatus
Process with PID 3401 (airmon-ng) is running on interface wlan0

Interface	Chipset		Driver
wlan0		Intel 7265	iwlwifi - [phy0]

		(monitor mode enabled on mon0)

The output above provides various information. It first displays a list of processes that may interfere with the operation of airodump-ng, aireplay-ng, or airtun-ng tools. It then shows the details of the wireless network interface wlan0 before confirming that monitor mode has been enabled on a new interface named mon0. The actual output may vary depending on your system configuration.

Use Case 3: Killing Disturbing Processes that Use Wireless Devices

To kill processes that may interfere with wireless network analysis or that prevent monitor mode from being enabled, you can use the following command:

sudo airmon-ng check kill

Motivation

Some system processes, such as network managers or DHCP clients, can interfere with wireless network analysis tools or prevent monitor mode from being activated on certain interfaces. By utilizing the check kill option, you can quickly terminate these processes to ensure smooth operation without any interference.

Arguments

No specific arguments are required for this use case.

Example Output

Killing these processes:

	ID	Name
	2398	NetworkManager
	2400	wpa_supplicant
	2630	dhclient
	4907	dunst
	5107	dwmstatus

Kill these with 'kill <processID>' to continue with airmon-ng

Interface	Chipset		Driver
wlan0		Intel 7265	iwlwifi - [phy0]

The output above lists the processes that will be terminated by the check kill command. Once the processes are killed, you need to manually execute the airmon-ng command again to proceed. The actual output may vary depending on your system configuration.

Use Case 4: Turning off Monitor Mode for a Specific Network Interface

To disable monitor mode for a specific network interface, you can use the following command:

sudo airmon-ng stop wlan0mon

Motivation

Disabling monitor mode is useful when you no longer require the ability to capture wireless network traffic and want to restore the interface to its original functionality. By stopping monitor mode, you allow the network interface to resume normal operation, such as connecting to access points and transmitting network traffic.

Arguments

• stop wlan0mon: Specifies the name of the interface in monitor mode to be turned off. In this example, wlan0mon is the name of the interface in monitor mode that should be stopped.

Example Output

Interface	Chipset		Driver
wlan0		Intel 7265	iwlwifi - [phy0]

		(monitor mode disabled on wlan0mon)

The output above confirms the successful disabling of monitor mode on the specified network interface, wlan0mon. The actual output may vary depending on your system configuration.

Conclusion

The airmon-ng command provides a robust way to activate and manage monitor mode on wireless network devices. Whether you need to identify available wireless interfaces, enable or disable monitor mode, or terminate interfering processes, airmon-ng offers a versatile set of options. By utilizing the examples and explanations provided in this article, you can effectively leverage the power of airmon-ng for your wireless network analysis needs.