I ran a simulated WPA2 lab to better understand handshake captures and offline cracking implications. This post summarizes the non-actionable workflow, observations, and hardening guidance.
Summary:
Scope: simulated lab — AP and client under my control.
Objective: capture a WPA2 4-way handshake, analyze it, and test dictionary-based offline recovery to measure passphrase strength.
Observations: short or common passphrases were quickly tested; longer multi-word passphrases offered meaningful resistance.
Recommended hardening: migrate to WPA3 where possible, adopt WPA2/WPA3-Enterprise for organizations, disable WPS, require AES/CCMP, segment networks, and maintain firmware/patch hygiene.
If you want a sanitized checklist or the repository with documentation and screenshot placeholders (no raw captures or keys), reply and I’ll share the repo link.