student@hack3rs:~$ cat wireless-rogue-ap-detection-drill.md
Wireless Rogue AP Detection Drill (Authorized Lab Workflow)
Practice a passive, defensive wireless detection drill in an authorized lab to learn how to identify suspicious AP behavior, document evidence, and validate segmentation assumptions safely.
prerequisites
- $Use only systems and networks you own or are explicitly authorized to test.
- $Basic familiarity with networking and logs.
- $Willingness to document evidence and assumptions.
1. Drill Goal and Safety Boundaries
This drill is for authorized wireless labs only. The goal is to practice passive detection, observation, and documentation around rogue AP-like behavior or suspicious WLAN changes in a controlled environment.
Use your own equipment and a safe RF environment. Do not interfere with third-party networks or capture traffic without authorization.
Focus on observation-first workflows: channel, SSID/BSSID changes, client associations, and segmentation validation after identification.
2. Passive Visibility and Triage Workflow
Use passive wireless visibility (for example Kismet in a lab) to build a baseline of expected SSIDs, BSSIDs, channels, and client behavior. Then introduce a controlled variation to simulate unexpected wireless behavior.
Document what changed and why it matters: unknown SSID, suspiciously similar naming, channel change, MAC/BSSID duplication patterns, or unexpected signal source location in the lab.
Validate the impact through network checks and segmentation assumptions where applicable. The drill should connect RF visibility to defensive response thinking.
3. What to Write Down After the Drill
Write a short detection note with observed RF changes, confidence level, and what follow-up evidence would be needed in a real environment (controller logs, switch port data, NAC events, DHCP leases).
Record which assumptions were strongest and weakest. Wireless investigations often fail when teams assume too much from one sensor view.
Use the drill to improve your wireless monitoring checklist and BYOD/guest segmentation validation plan.
wireless-drill-checklist
- $Define authorized scope and RF environment for the drill.
- $Build a baseline of expected SSIDs/BSSIDs/channels first.
- $Introduce one controlled variation and document what changed.
- $Map RF observations to network/segmentation follow-up checks.
- $Write a short post-drill note and improve your checklist.
how-to-workflow
- Define the authorized wireless lab scope and expected WLAN baseline.
- Collect passive wireless observations for SSIDs, BSSIDs, channels, and client behavior.
- Introduce one controlled wireless variation in the lab.
- Document RF-level changes and triage what looks suspicious.
- Validate network/segmentation assumptions with follow-up checks.
- Write a post-drill detection note and update your wireless checklist.