Netdiscover Guide | Find Devices Connected to Wifi | Kali Linux

Introduction

This tutorial is designed to help you discover devices connected to your Wi-Fi network using the Netdiscover tool in Kali Linux. Knowing how to find and identify devices on your network can enhance your network security and enable effective network management.

Step 1: Install Netdiscover

Before using Netdiscover, you need to ensure it is installed on your Kali Linux system.

• Open the terminal.
• Update your package list:

  sudo apt-get update
  

• Install Netdiscover if it's not already installed:

  sudo apt-get install netdiscover
  

Step 2: Identify Your Network Interface

To use Netdiscover, you must identify the network interface that is connected to your Wi-Fi.

• Check your network interfaces:

  ifconfig
  

• Look for the interface that has an IP address assigned (commonly wlan0 for Wi-Fi).

Step 3: Run Netdiscover

Now that Netdiscover is installed and you have identified your network interface, you can start scanning for devices.

• Execute the following command, replacing wlan0 with your actual network interface:

  sudo netdiscover -i wlan0
  

• This command will start scanning the network for connected devices.

Step 4: Analyze the Results

Once the scan is complete, you will see a list of devices.

• The output will display:
  • IP Address of each device
  • MAC Address
  • Manufacturer information (if available)

Take note of the IP addresses and MAC addresses for any devices you want to investigate further.

Step 5: Optional Advanced Scanning

For a more detailed scan, you can use additional flags with Netdiscover.

• To scan a specific range of IP addresses, use:

  sudo netdiscover -r 192.168.1.0/24
  

• Replace 192.168.1.0/24 with your network’s specific range.

Practical Tips

• Ensure you have permission to scan the network, as unauthorized scanning can be illegal.
• Use the -p flag to enable passive mode, which helps in identifying devices without sending any packets.

Common Pitfalls

• If you do not see any devices, ensure your network interface is active and connected to the Wi-Fi.
• Double-check that you have the necessary permissions to perform network scans.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned how to install and use Netdiscover on Kali Linux to find devices connected to your Wi-Fi network. This tool is beneficial for network monitoring and security assessments. Next, you may want to explore further security measures or tools for network analysis to enhance your understanding of network management.