# What is Wardriving?

> Wardriving is an industry term for discovering, recording, or mapping wireless networks while moving through an area.

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## Content

Despite the name, it may be performed from a vehicle, on foot, or from another mobile platform. A tool can associate network identifiers, channels, advertised capabilities, signal strength, and approximate location with each detection.

Wardriving may be a passive survey, an authorized assessment, or reconnaissance preceding misuse; the label does not establish intent. Passive collection listens for transmissions, whereas active scanning sends frames and may attempt interaction. Detecting a network differs from joining it, bypassing access controls, intercepting protected content, or using its connectivity.

### Key points

- **Observable information:** Management frames may reveal a service set identifier, basic service set identifier, channel, security capabilities, and radio characteristics even when application content is encrypted.
- **Passive and active methods:** Passive observation sends no probe frames to the observed network, but retaining identifiers or location can create legal and privacy duties. Active scanning transmits frames and belongs only within explicit authorization; do not connect to or test third-party systems.
- **Defensive use and governance:** An organization can survey its perimeter for unintended coverage, weak configurations, impersonating networks, or unauthorized access points. Treat location and device data as potentially sensitive and avoid probing third-party systems.
- **Important limitation:** A wardriving observation is a point-in-time, location-dependent signal, not proof that a network is vulnerable, malicious, owned by a particular party, or reachable later. Suppressing routine SSID advertisement does not prevent discovery, and stronger authentication does not stop radio detection.

### Related terms

[Wireless security](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/wireless-security/>) · [Wireless network](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/wireless-network/>) · [Service set identifier (SSID)](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/service-set-identifier/>) · [Network monitoring](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/network-monitoring/>) · [Intrusion detection system (IDS)](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/intrusion-detection-system/>)

### Sources

[CISA NICCS Glossary: Wardriving](https://niccs.cisa.gov/about-niccs/glossary) · [NIST SP 800-153: Guidelines for Securing Wireless Local Area Networks](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/153/final)

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