Kali Linux Wireshark Monitor Mode: A Step-by-Step Guide

Wireless packet captures are incredibly useful while troubleshooting specific events on a WLAN, making Kali Linux and Wireshark a powerful combination for capturing wireless traffic. In this article, we will explore how to set up Kali Linux in monitor mode using airmon-ng and view the captured traffic using Wireshark.

Step 1: Find Available Wireless Interfaces

To begin, find out which wireless interfaces are available by running the `iwconfig` command in a terminal window. This command will list all available wireless interfaces on your system.

Step 2: Set the Wireless Adapter to Monitor/Promiscuous Mode

Next, set the wireless adapter to monitor/promiscuous mode using airmon-ng. The command `airmon-ng start wlan0` tells airmon-ng to start monitoring interface wlan0 in monitor mode. Note that if you are using a different interface name, replace 'wlan0' with the desired interface name.

Step 3: Specify the Channel to Monitor

Once the wireless adapter is set to monitor mode, specify the channel to monitor on by using `airodump-ng mon0 -channel `. Replace `` with the number of the channel you want to monitor.

kali linux wireshark monitor mode

Step 4: View Captured Traffic using Wireshark in Monitor Mode

Finally, view the captured traffic using Wireshark in monitor mode. Open Wireshark and select `File` > `Open Capture File...` or press `Ctrl + O` on your keyboard. Navigate to the capture file location and open it.

Troubleshooting Tips

If you encounter any issues while capturing wireless traffic, try killing any interfering processes using `kill `. If airmon-ng indicates that there are conflicting processes, find the processes and kill them to recreate the capture.

In this article, we have covered how to set up Kali Linux in monitor mode using airmon-ng and view captured wireless traffic using Wireshark. With these steps, you can troubleshoot specific events on a WLAN and gain valuable insights into wireless communication between devices.

Kali linux wireshark monitor mode