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Aircrack-ng
What it is
Aircrack-ng is a free suite of command-line tools for assessing Wi-Fi network security. It captures packets and exports data to text files for processing with third-party tools, and it checks wireless-card and driver capabilities for capture and injection. The toolset includes frame injection and replay, monitor-mode control, wireless-network graphing, and tools for cracking WEP and WPA PSK keys, including WPA 1 and 2. The project says the command-line design allows heavy scripting. Aircrack-ng is open source under GPL v2, BSD 3 Clause, and OpenSSL licenses; it can be compiled without OpenSSL for users who do not accept that license. Compatibility depends on hardware: the project notes that some chipsets are unsupported and some functions may not work even with a supported chipset. Windows support is limited to Airpcap, and the Windows 1.7 download requires users to develop their own wireless-card DLLs, which are not included or supported. Only the latest stable release is supported. The project warns against accessing networks that do not belong to the user.
For and against
For
- Free software suite with no license fee.
- Supports packet capture and frame injection.
- Includes WEP and WPA PSK key-cracking tools.
- Command-line tools support heavy scripting.
- Available for Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosting.
Against
- Not all wireless chipsets are supported.
- Some functions may fail on supported chipsets.
- Windows support requires Airpcap.
- Windows 1.7 requires users to develop wireless-card DLLs.
The verdict
Aircrack-ng provides a broad command-line toolset for Wi-Fi security assessment, with scripting and packet-processing capabilities. Hardware compatibility and especially limited Windows support are important constraints to consider.
Who it suits
Aircrack-ng suits users who need command-line tools to assess Wi-Fi security and are comfortable with scripting. It is intended for use on networks the user owns or is authorized to assess.
Plans and prices
Aircrack-ng
Full software suite · no license fee
Read 29 Sep 2026 · aircrack-ng.org
On the record
- Command line
- All tools are command-line programs, which the project says allows heavy scripting.aircrack-ng.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Cracking
- The suite includes tools for cracking WEP and WPA PSK keys, including WPA 1 and 2.aircrack-ng.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Hardware compatibility
- The project says not all wireless chipsets are supported, and some functions may not work even with a supported chipset.aircrack-ng.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- License
- Aircrack-ng is open source under GPL v2, BSD 3 Clause, and OpenSSL licenses, and it can be compiled without OpenSSL if that license is not accepted.aircrack-ng.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Monitoring
- Its monitoring tools capture packets and export data to text files for processing with third-party tools.aircrack-ng.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Purpose
- Aircrack-ng is a suite of tools for assessing Wi-Fi network security.aircrack-ng.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Release
- The downloads page lists Aircrack-ng 1.7 as the source release and Windows binary.aircrack-ng.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Responsible use
- The getting-started guide says the project does not support or endorse accessing networks that do not belong to the user and warns that illegal activity can result in a permanent ban from its forum or IRC.aircrack-ng.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Security reporting
- The project requests coordinated disclosure of security issues by email and says not to open bug reports or pull requests for those reports.aircrack-ng.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Support
- The project directs users to its wiki, tool documentation, manpages, FAQ, troubleshooting pages, forum, and IRC, and says it does not provide support over email.aircrack-ng.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Supported versions
- The security policy says only the latest stable release is supported.aircrack-ng.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Testing
- The suite checks wireless cards and driver capabilities for capture and injection.aircrack-ng.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Toolset
- The documented tools include packet capture, frame injection and replay, monitor-mode control, wireless-network graphing, and WEP/WPA/WPA2-PSK key cracking.aircrack-ng.org · read 29 Sep 2026
- Windows limitation
- The compatibility page says Microsoft Windows is only supported with Airpcap, and the Windows 1.7 download requires users to develop their own wireless-card DLLs, which are not included or supported.aircrack-ng.org · read 29 Sep 2026
