Kismet

Kismet is a passive wireless network detector, sniffer, and intrusion detection system. Unlike active scanners, it operates entirely in passive mode — it just listens without transmitting. This makes it stealthier and capable of seeing more than active tools. It's the gold standard for wardriving and wireless site surveys.

Why Kismet Over Airodump-ng

• Passive only — never transmits (harder to detect)
• Multi-adapter support simultaneously
• GPS integration with automatic logging
• Detects hidden SSIDs over time
• Logs all 802.11 management frames
• Web UI for real-time monitoring
• WiGLE upload integration
• Detects rogue APs, deauth attacks, anomalies

Installation

# Kali
sudo apt install kismet

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install kismet

# From source (latest)
git clone https://www.kismetwireless.net/git/kismet.git
cd kismet && ./configure && make && sudo make install

Basic Usage

# Start Kismet with web UI
sudo kismet -c wlan0

# Access web UI
# http://localhost:2501
# First run: set username/password at http://localhost:2501

# Start with GPS
sudo kismet -c wlan0 --gps-gpsd-host localhost

# Multiple sources
sudo kismet -c wlan0 -c wlan1

# Headless (no web UI, just logging)
sudo kismet --no-daemonize -c wlan0

Command Line Source Options

# Hop channels (default)
sudo kismet -c wlan0

# Lock to specific channel
sudo kismet -c wlan0:channel=6

# Specify hop rate (channels/second)
sudo kismet -c wlan0:hop=true,hoprate=5/sec

Kismet Web UI

The web UI (localhost:2501) shows:

• Live map of detected networks
• Device list with signal strength
• Packet rates
• Alert notifications (deauth attacks detected, etc.)

Log Files

Kismet logs to .kismet database files and optionally .pcap:

# Kismet log directory
ls /home/user/

# Convert kismet log to pcap
kismetdb_to_pcap --in kismet.kismet --out output.pcap

# Query the kismet database
kismetdb_dump_devices --in capture.kismet

# Export to CSV
kismetdb_statistics --in capture.kismet

GPS Integration

# Install gpsd
sudo apt install gpsd gpsd-clients

# Start gpsd with USB GPS dongle
sudo gpsd /dev/ttyUSB0

# Test GPS
cgps -s

# Kismet auto-detects gpsd
sudo kismet -c wlan0
# GPS coords are auto-embedded in logs

WiGLE Integration

# In kismet.conf
wigle_api_key=your_api_key
wigle_enabled=true
wigle_upload_type=all

War Driving Setup

Ideal war driving kit:

1. Laptop or Raspberry Pi
2. USB WiFi adapter (alfa card, e.g. AWUS036ACH)
3. USB GPS dongle (Globalsat BU-353)
4. External antenna for better range
5. Power bank for mobile operation

# Typical wardriving run
sudo kismet -c wlan0 --gps-gpsd-host=localhost
# Drive around, Kismet logs everything
# After: upload .kismet log to WiGLE

Detecting Wireless Attacks

Kismet has built-in alerts for:

• Deauthentication flood
• Disassociation flood
• Beacon floods
• Unusual management frames
• Rogue AP detection (same SSID, different BSSID)

See Also

• wigle-wifi-geolocation-database - Database where Kismet data is uploaded
• future-of-tech-emerging-trends-2023 - War driving overview
• tshark-cli-guide - For analyzing the resulting pcap files