Extra characters in SSID?

Yingling · 02-06-2008

Just curious if anyone knows why I show the following in NS. My network name is corsario, but in NS is shows some crazy stuff after that which changes every time NS refreshes. Any ideas?

Netgear WPN824 router, WPA2-PSK encryption.

Thorn · 02-06-2008

Interesting. What brand is the AP? And is it a true 802.11g unit or a "pre-N"?

Yingling · 02-06-2008

It's a Netgear WPN824. It is true 802.11g but is MIMO (multiple in, miltiple out) with 7 antennas.

I thought the characters are somehow related to the wireless mode settings for the router. It gives the option of b only, g only, b & g, & Auto 108 Mbps. I normally have it set to Auto 108 Mbps since it seems to provide better coverage this way. Just for kicks I changed it to g only but I see the same SSID fluctuations.

I'm sure I could spend a Saturday eliminating variables and eventually find the answer, just thought I'd ask before it festers in the back corners of my mind long enough to cause that.

beakmyn · 02-07-2008

I assume you're running Windows XP? This issue pops up quite often with Kismet since I believe Windows sanitizes the data a bit more but it's an OS issue.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dragorn author of Kismet

Q: What are the SSIDs full of strange characters, like ^A^B^J^J^K^H?
A: WindowsXP leaks bits of memory into the probe requests. These are legit
packets, and thats whats really in them.

I've seen it happen before.

Yingling · 02-07-2008

It is XP, SP3 (either leaked or beta can't remember). I'll try another PC and see if I get the same result. Thanks for the info!

Yingling · 02-09-2008

Thanks for the info!

I tried two other laptops with XP SP2 and didn't have the extra characters. I then upgraded one of them to RC SP3 and still didn't see the funky SSID. Guess it's just something with that laptop.

renderman · 02-11-2008

same card on all of them?

I've found that some crappy drivers leak info into the SSID field, ala Kismet under linux.

Probobly a software issue along the line. Keep in mind when using NS your generally doing things to the card it was'nt meant to do.

02-06-2008	#1 (permalink)
Yingling Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 4	Extra characters in SSID? Just curious if anyone knows why I show the following in NS. My network name is corsario, but in NS is shows some crazy stuff after that which changes every time NS refreshes. Any ideas? Netgear WPN824 router, WPA2-PSK encryption.

02-06-2008	#2 (permalink)
Thorn Did you do the math? Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Villa Straylight Posts: 9,967	Interesting. What brand is the AP? And is it a true 802.11g unit or a "pre-N"? __________________ Thorn "You guys'll be chalk outlines without me."

02-11-2008	#7 (permalink)
renderman Drunken Stumbler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Anywhere but Utah Posts: 1,792	same card on all of them? I've found that some crappy drivers leak info into the SSID field, ala Kismet under linux. Probobly a software issue along the line. Keep in mind when using NS your generally doing things to the card it was'nt meant to do. __________________ Never drink anything larger than your head! Scaramental Wine Taster for the Church Of WiFi Buy our book: RFID Security "I reject your reality, and substitute my own!" – Adam Savage CoWF WPA Hash Tables

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02-06-2008	#3 (permalink)
Yingling Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 4	It's a Netgear WPN824. It is true 802.11g but is MIMO (multiple in, miltiple out) with 7 antennas. I thought the characters are somehow related to the wireless mode settings for the router. It gives the option of b only, g only, b & g, & Auto 108 Mbps. I normally have it set to Auto 108 Mbps since it seems to provide better coverage this way. Just for kicks I changed it to g only but I see the same SSID fluctuations. I'm sure I could spend a Saturday eliminating variables and eventually find the answer, just thought I'd ask before it festers in the back corners of my mind long enough to cause that.

02-07-2008	#5 (permalink)
Yingling Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 4	It is XP, SP3 (either leaked or beta can't remember). I'll try another PC and see if I get the same result. Thanks for the info!

02-09-2008	#6 (permalink)
Yingling Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 4	Thanks for the info! I tried two other laptops with XP SP2 and didn't have the extra characters. I then upgraded one of them to RC SP3 and still didn't see the funky SSID. Guess it's just something with that laptop.