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I'm asking because I just got the Airport Extreme because I read that it is one of the few routers out there that does not come with a built-in WPS switch. While this provides some comfort, does it make the wifi connection anymore secure from eavesdroppers in other ways? There are WPA2 settings and such but I recently discovered in my Macbook console that promiscuous mode was enabled.

I am not IT knowledgeable but isn't this a sniffer program and if so how did it get into my Airport network? I have a great password.

schroeder
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user7149
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    Why does not having WPS comfort you? You can turn it off in every* router that supports it. – Ry- Sep 21 '15 at 06:06
  • @minitech Most people aren't aware of this or tech savvy enough to disable or even fully understand it. And that's okay. – voices Sep 21 '15 at 06:42
  • @minitech actually not, disabling it is buggy in many routers – Natanael Sep 21 '15 at 10:31
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    Minitech, you actually cannot turn it off and most routers these days doesn't actu.lly shut off that setting even if there was a switch to do so. Go do some research before making inaccurate statements on a public forum. – user7149 Sep 22 '15 at 15:01
  • @user7149: Er, why the hostility? Mine works, anyway. – Ry- Sep 28 '15 at 06:17

1 Answers1

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While this provides some comfort, does it make the wifi connection anymore secure from eavesdroppers in other ways?

No. WiFi is essentially a radio. Your access point sends out a radio wave encoded with data (please don't make me explain how a radio transceiver works), it can be picked up by anything that can pick up radio waves, this includes walls, floors, buildings, people, etc. However it can only be decoded with the proper key.

I recently discovered in my Macbook console that promiscuous mode was enabled. I am not IT knowledgeable but isn't this a sniffer program.

It's not. Promiscuous mode is a setting, it allows your computer to receive any and all data whether it was addressed to you or not.

schroeder
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Noah Wood
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  • Oh. I read somewhere that promiscuous mode is, "In computer networking, promiscuous modes a mode for a wired network interface controller (NIC) or wireless network interface controller (WNIC) that causes the controller to pass all traffic it receives to the central processing unit (CPU) rather than passing only the frames that the controller is intended to receive. This mode is normally used for packet sniffing that takes place on a router or on a computer connected to a hub (instead of a switch). – user7149 Sep 21 '15 at 03:39
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    tldr; it allows you to receive any and all data whether it was addressed to you or not. :>) Yes, it is generally used for packet sniffing, but it won't be able to assemble or manipulate the packets into something you the end user can use, for that you need a program like [Wireshark](https://www.wireshark.org/) – Noah Wood Sep 21 '15 at 03:45
  • Well why would I enable Promiscuous mode in my own network? – user7149 Sep 21 '15 at 03:53
  • I wouldn't even know how to go about it. I just happened to see the command in my logs. – user7149 Sep 21 '15 at 03:54
  • Why would you enable it? As a general user you wouldn't. It will only slow down your computer, but if you are troubleshooting the network you might enable it to see where data is going to/from. – Noah Wood Sep 21 '15 at 03:59
  • Well is there a chance that someone else put it in there? I mean, if you had physical access to the computer, you could add all sorts of things. That's why I was asking about the wifi security of Airport routers. – user7149 Sep 21 '15 at 04:32
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    @user7149 It's not really a _thing_ that someone can _put_ there. Your computer/network seems to be behaving as it should. How did you even discover this information re: _promiscuous mode_ on your system? I will run the same command on my MacBook Pro and you can compare our results. Any relevant screenshots, images, code snippets etc. could be helpful. – voices Sep 21 '15 at 06:50
  • Well someone had to enable it in my network if I didn't do it myself. And how would you know if my network is behaving as it should if I didn't tell you anything else about it? You're making broad statements about something you obviously have no idea about. – user7149 Sep 22 '15 at 14:58
  • If there is something wrong with your network I personally guarantee you it is not because promiscuous mode is enabled on your computer. – Noah Wood Sep 22 '15 at 15:30