Hacking into other people’s phones and computers may seem like it’s only the purview of hackers and software developers. Still, you can take control of any mobile device or computer connected to your Wi-Fi network with the correct information. This guide on hacking phones connected to your Wi-Fi router will show you how to protect yourself from unwanted attacks and intrusions.
What Are the Basics of Hacking Phones Connected to Your Wi-Fi Router?
Hacking a phone connected to your home Wi-Fi router is an old trick, but hackers still use it today. It would be best to have a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server. When you connect your phone or other devices to your router’s Wi-Fi signal, it tells that device its IP address, basically giving it its own little internet address, and then holds onto that information so other devices can find it later.�?
The DHCP server does more than give each device an IP address. It also assigns each device a subnet mask and gateway address to know how to get online from your network and where all of its data should go once it’s connected.�?
This is why you can access your printer from any computer on your network. To hack into someone else’s phone using a Wi-Fi connection, all you have to do is change those default settings on the router.�?
This makes it possible for a hacker sitting outside your house to hijack every device connected through that router.�?
More Advanced Phone Hacking Techniques
Once you have access to a wireless router, you can crack its password by exploiting the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) weaknesses. WPS is designed to make it quick and easy for anyone connecting a new device—such as a phone or computer—to join your Wi-Fi network.�?
However, because there is much vulnerability associated with WPS, it’s possible to guess some of your router’s security details simply by trying random combinations of login credentials until you get lucky.�?
If you know your router’s configuration, you can discover which networks are using it and then perform additional attacks on those devices. Once you connect to a router via WPS, you can force that router to send an Internet Service Provider (ISP) data about all other connected devices.�?
This attack only works against ISPs that use Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) authentication. Still, there are thousands of them, including AT&T, Comcast Xfinity, Cox Communications, and Time Warner Cable. Although each ISP has its own requirements for making RADIUS work with their systems, they all require users to enter account information like user names and passwords when logging into their accounts online.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Hacking Phones Connected to Your Wi-Fi
Before attempting any phone hacking, it’s essential to have a plan. The first step is relatively simple and will only take a few minutes. You’ll need:�?
- A computer with Wi-Fi capabilities.�?
- Your home router.
- The home router’s gateway IP address (you can usually find your router’s gateway IP address by logging into your router on a computer).
- An internet connection.
- �?A web browser (Google Chrome works best for most hacking purposes).�?
How to Hack the Phones Like a Pro
You can hack the phones connected to your Wi-Fi by following this simple guide:
- Log into your home Wi-Fi network on your computer, which should automatically discover all of the devices connected to it.�?
- After you log in, you should see a list of all phones currently connected to your Wi-Fi. To hack one of these phones, you must first get its MAC address.�?
- To do so, click on one of those phones in your list and then look at its details page—the MAC address is located under Device Name or Hardware Address.�?
- Once that information is stored somewhere safe, proceed to the next step.�?
- Next, type cmd into your search bar and hit enter. This will open up an MS-DOS prompt window.�?
- Type ipconfig into that window and hit enter again.�?
- Write down both of your IPv4 addresses and both of your subnet masks. Now, go back to your device list and right-click on each device you want to hack.�?
- Select Inspect Element from the dropdown menu. This gives you a new tab in your browser where you can edit some code. Add src=http: // before http:// and add /?format=jsonp&callback=? After http://�?
- Replace my IP address with yours in both occurrences of the code above.�?
- Hit save changes and close out everything.�?
- Go back to your command prompt window and type ping -t [your Subnet Mask Here] [your Gateway IP Address Here]. So if your subnet mask was 255.255.255.0 and your gateway IP address was 192.168.1.1, you would type ping -t 255.255.0 192.168 1 .1.�?
- Once that completes successfully, close out that terminal window because you’re done with it now!�?
- Try connecting to any of those Wi-Fi networks using their SSID names now! If you did everything right, you should be able to connect without entering passwords! Hooray!
What Kind of Hacker Am I?
This is a question that many hackers ask themselves. Many think that they are hackers but are just people with above-average computer skills who have never learned how to do anything malicious with their abilities.�?
There are only two kinds of hackers: black hat and white hat. Black hat hackers illegally break into computers and networks, while white hats legally find vulnerabilities in systems to make them more secure.�?
If you don’t grasp which one you are, you’re closer to being a black hat than a white hat!�?
Things You Need to Know about Phone Hacking
All mobile phones are connected to a DSN and an internet service provider. All of your data is susceptible and can be manipulated through access codes. A person who knows your network or plans on hacking into it first has to discover which service you use; then, they need to know which company owns that specific area.�?
They must have the knowledge to get into your system and know what they’re doing when it comes time to work on or hack into your phone.
Benefits of Hacking Phones Connected to Your Wi-Fi
Hacking into a cell phone means you can see all of that person’s activity—calls, text messages, photos, and even applications they use—on your screen. If someone isn’t paying their bills on time or talking to people you disapprove of, hacking them is a great way to learn about it.�?
This can also be a helpful tool for parents looking over their children’s activities (while still being respectful of boundaries) and business owners keeping tabs on their employees.�?
By hacking phones connected to your Wi-Fi router, you have access to everything!�?
How to Protect Your Phone from Hackers
- Change Your Router’s Default Password
A report from cybersecurity firm Absolute Software recently found that 57 percent of routers have a factory default setting that can be accessed without a password, up from 48 percent in 2013.�?
The survey revealed other scary facts: 58 percent of customers don’t change their passwords, and 67 percent still use guessable passwords such as admin or 1234.�?
Once you get your router home, update its firmware and change its default username and password before connecting it to your internet. Consider changing those defaults every month for extra protection (and added fun). The same advice goes for modems used on DSL connections—make sure you constantly change those passwords!
The Situation on SmartPhone Devices
According to some, many smartphone users have come across security breaches on their mobile devices. This can be from malware or viruses that have hacked into your phone for someone other than you to steal personal information such as credit card numbers, passwords, and even sometimes your banking information.�?
However, you need to know that these threats can be avoided entirely by ensuring that your device is encrypted and secure. You need to take many different steps to ensure that your device remains safe and secure while ensuring complete privacy whenever you are connected online.�?
These simple steps can help ensure that no unauthorized users will ever be able to access any of your private information. Here are some tricks to remember when protecting phones connected to any Wi-Fi router:
Make Sure That You Always Have a Strong Password
If you want to protect phones connected to any Wi-Fi router, then the first thing to do is ensure that you always have a strong password. A strong password should include both letters and numbers along with special characters.�?
It should never be easy for anyone else to guess what your password might be because if they do, they will quickly gain access to your account without having any trouble at all.
Encrypt All of Your Devices
Another excellent way to protect yourself from hackers would be to encrypt all of your devices so that no one else can get inside them without permission from you.
Is it illegal to Hack Phones Connected to Your Wi-Fi Router?
It’s true that doing so is a federal crime and can result in fines of up to $500,000 or five years imprisonment. However, law enforcement can only crackdown on individuals who access Wi-Fi router signals for personal use, not those using a tool specifically designed for network penetration testing.�?
IT professionals can use tools like DSN for security audits and compliance checks, although you should note that hacking into other networks without permission is illegal.�?
When conducting penetration tests, you may even get permission from individual users beforehand—for example; your client could permit you to test their computers when they suspect viruses or malware are at work on their end.�?
However, accessing someone else’s wireless signal is still against federal law if you don’t have permission.
The Final Thought
When you buy a smartphone, it’s pretty standard for people to tether their devices to their Wi-Fi routers and share a data connection with all of their friends. However, if you’re not careful about what kind of information you’re putting out there, things can go from fun to downright dangerous in a hurry.�?
On top of that, home routers are often woefully unprotected and have minimal built-in security features. That means it’s easy for someone on your network—or even worse, an Internet stalker—to connect with your router and access any piece of information they want without your knowledge or consent.