This is another project idea that I’ve had in my head for a while. The main idea being this project, is that I want to set up an access point in my apartment that is not at all attached to my normal network. I just want it to be an access point that will give out DHCP addresses and Internet access. The catch is that I also want it to sniff traffic for user names and passwords. I was thinking that I could use a WRT54G running OpenWRT to get the custom software running on it. I also figured I should be able to set up some sort of remote logging on it. The memory on a WRT is very limited, so depending on how much traffic it sees, there really wouldn’t be much storage space. The easiest way to deal with that would probably be to just set up a samba share or something.
I don’t think I have a WRT that I can use for this project right now. I do have an old Actiontec router/switch/ap that Qwest gave me a few years ago. There is an OpenWRT port that supposedly will run on this thing but I have been unsuccessful in my attempts to flash it. Every time I get it flashed the router refuses to boot. I always have to flash it back to the Actiontec firmware.
The goal for this project is not to collect login credentials for my own benefit, but just to see how many people will connect to a random open wireless access point and send their valuable information over the air. It’s really not a smart idea.
