SSID that accept any password given

[Sgt.Foose]

Hey guys, I own the MK7 and might have a dumb question; is there a way to make the open WiFi a password protected one that accepts any given password? The thing is to trick my clients, they always have to go into WiFi settings and select my open WiFi which has no keylock icon next to it. Most users won’t fall for this trick.

[Aaron Outhier]

Alas, no. It's not so simple as that. The password on a WiFi network isn't a simple password in the usual sense. It is used as a base to generate a 64-character encryption key. That is in turn used to authenticate a device to the network. The original "password" isn't actually used, however, both sides need to supply the same original password.

To put it more simply: The client has to use the same password that the router is expecting. They won't be able to communicate otherwise. It isn't possible for a router (or WiFi Pineapple) to determine the password in use by a client directly.

The only way to discover a key in use is by observing and capturing the initial key exchange between an existing router and a client device.

Nice idea though. Also, although I believe it is possible to have a Pineapple broadcast a protected AP, it isn't an option in the Web interface at this time. You would need make such changes from a command line via ssh.

[Aaron Outhier]

One thing I'd like to mention though:

There are lots of open WiFi signals around - McDonalds, Starbucks, and many others. One trick folks use takes advantage of the fact that many people save such open hotspots in their list of routers to connect to automatically. That way, any time the come across such an establishment, they don't have to do as much clicking. By mimicking the names of such open APs, you can get clients to connect, before they even know they're connected.