Distributed Wpa - Psk Auditor |top|

1. Executive Summary A Distributed WPA-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key) Auditor is a system designed to test the strength of Wi-Fi network passwords (passphrases) across a large number of networks by leveraging distributed computing resources. Unlike a single-machine brute-force attack, a distributed auditor splits the computational workload across many nodes (e.g., cloud instances, volunteer computers, or IoT devices) to drastically reduce the time required to crack or verify WPA-PSK hashes. This report covers its purpose, architecture, attack mechanics, legal implications, and defensive countermeasures. 2. Background: WPA-PSK Vulnerability WPA-PSK (commonly WPA2-PSK or WPA3-SAE transition mode) uses a 4-way handshake captured when a device connects to an access point (AP). The password is not sent in plaintext; instead, the handshake contains data that allows offline verification of a candidate passphrase via: