Wifite

What is Wifite?

Wifite is an automated wireless network auditing tool designed to streamline attacks against WEP, WPA/WPA2, and WPS-enabled networks. Rather than manually chaining together tools like aircrack-ng, reaver, and hashcat, Wifite handles the entire workflow automatically — putting the wireless interface into monitor mode, scanning for targets, capturing handshakes, and launching cracking attempts. It's widely used in authorized wireless penetration testing assessments.

Installation

# Update packages
sudo apt update

# Install Wifite (pre-installed on Kali)
sudo apt install wifite -y

# Install Wifite 2 (recommended, actively maintained)
git clone https://github.com/derv82/wifite2.git
cd wifite2
sudo python3 wifite.py

# Check version
wifite --version

Basic Usage

Wifite requires a wireless adapter that supports monitor mode and packet injection. Run as root.

# Scan all nearby networks and attack automatically
sudo wifite

# Attack only WPA networks
sudo wifite --wpa

# Attack only WPS-enabled networks
sudo wifite --wps

# Target a specific BSSID (MAC address)
sudo wifite --bssid AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF

# Use a custom wordlist for WPA cracking
sudo wifite --dict /usr/share/wordlists/rockyou.txt

# Set a timeout per target (seconds)
sudo wifite --timeout 60

# Capture WPA handshake only, skip cracking
sudo wifite --no-crack

# Kill interfering processes automatically
sudo wifite --kill

Common Flags

• --wpa — Target only WPA/WPA2 networks
• --wep — Target only WEP networks
• --wps — Target only WPS-enabled networks
• --dict — Specify a wordlist for password cracking
• --bssid — Focus on a single access point by MAC address
• --channel — Lock to a specific Wi-Fi channel
• --no-crack — Capture handshake only, do not attempt to crack
• --kill — Kill processes that interfere with monitor mode

Common Use Cases

• Authorized penetration testing engagements
• CTF (Capture The Flag) competitions
• Internal wireless security audits
• Bug bounty program research

Further Reading

Wifite depends on supporting tools including aircrack-ng, reaver, tshark, and hashcat — ensure they are installed for full functionality. Practice on legal targets like TryHackMe, HackTheBox, or hackzia.site labs. Always read the official documentation before using in a live engagement.