Stumble across rogue wireless access points
Robert L. Bogue
Published: 26 Nov 2002 16:02 GMT
Working with the results
When you run NetStumbler, all you wind up with is a list of access points and their locations. The real fun is taking those access points and mapping them. Start by making sure you've merged all your NetStumbler files into one large file, as described above.
Figure B shows a partial listing of the access points that I detected in the Indianapolis area.
| Figure B |
 |
| Some wireless access points found by MiniStumbler, shown in NetStumbler |
The next step is to convert the data in NetStumbler into a format that you can map. The conversion process takes two steps. The first is to export the data from NetStumbler by selecting File | Export | Summary and save the export file to your system. Next, connect to the NetStumbler Web site and select the option for MapPoint Converter. This brings you to a Web page that translates the summary file into a series of rows that you can then use to create a map using Microsoft MapPoint.
Unfortunately, you can't read this file directly into MapPoint. You must first copy the results of the script into an Excel workbook. Once you've saved the Excel workbook, you can import the data into MapPoint. The results may look something like Figure C.
| Figure C |
 |
| Some Indianapolis wireless LANs mapped |
Stumbling all around
NetStumbler and MiniStumbler are great tools for finding rogue access points, and for determining how far away your access points can be detected. After you find the rogue points on your network, you can determine a course of action. You can confront the user who has deployed the port and either secure it or eliminate it. You can also use a wireless sniffer to determine the type of traffic using the port to see if a spy or hacker is trying to access your network. After that, you can use the information to help law enforcement apprehend the culprit.
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