Strange behavior: BT4 in VMware Player and airodump-ng

[jglong3]

Hello,,,,

SYSTEM: DELL Inspiron 1764 with Windows 7 HOME PREMIUM, 64 bit (Build 7600) 6.1.7600
MEMORY: 3892 MB
USB: A wireless USB ALPHA AWUS036H with the RTL8187L chip set



Using the USB Alpha wireless, we have been running BT4 from a CD boot. Using airmon-ng, airodump-ng, aireplay-ng, and aircrack-ng and these work as expected.

We just started to use the BT4 in the WMware Player(Version 3.0.1 build-227600) environment with the same USB ALPHA wireless and noticed the following:

VM SETTINGS have been adjusted to make sure the NETWORK ADAPTER is set to NAT.

Just after starting BT4 in VMware Player and using the main SHELL (not startx) a "airmon-ng start wlan0" is executed.

A simple "airodump -a wlan0" to list all APs was started.

airodump-ng lists about 15 APs that it can see via the USB ALPHA and has a continuous default 1 second update of the screen format for each channel.

1. After a few minutes the list is suddenly reduced to only the AP sitting next to the ALPHA and appears to change display times to about once every 10 seconds for each channel.

2. Then after a few more minutes no APs are listed but the 10 second delay to show the next channel continues.

3. Then in about 15 minutes the SHELL screen is removed from the display in the BT4 DESKTOP. Pressing CTRL with the DESKTOP active will restore the SHELL (maybe a DISPLAY POWER on/off situation???).

4. Terminating airodump-ng and restarting does not list any APs.

5. Termination of the SHELL and a starting a new SHELL then airodump-ng does not list any APs.

6. Using "airmon-ng start wlan0" then "airodump-ng -a mon0" does not display any APs.

7. Then a VM POWER OFF and restart BT4 will now allow the "airodump-ng -a wlan0" to display all recieved APs but with the same behavior as listed in items 1-6 above.

8. The same behavior is observed if "startx" is activated.

Now, if we revert to using BT3 in the VMware Player this behavior is not observed.

Anyone observed this behavior with BT4 in VMware Player and/or any advice about this behavior?

Or, does this need to be reported in another BACTRACK forum?

THANKS for yor time, help, advice!!!

jglong3

[jglong3]

Hello,,,,


We disabled the factory installed Wireless Adapter (a DELL1520 with a BROADCOM chip set) and found that this had no effect on these observations and no matter what order for the previous descriptions are performed or what commands are used before the "airodump-ng",,,,the same behavior is observed.
For this system a VM BT4 POWER ON with only the following the above observations will occur:

airmon-ng
airodump-ng -a wlan0

When the observed conditions begin (no APs listed in "airodump-ng") then a "startx" with the use of SERVICES---NETWORK ON and INTERNET--WICD will not lst any APs and no connection to our AP can be made.

On the other hand when the BT4 "startx" is executed after an initial POWER ON for BT4 the use of SERVICES---NETWORK ON and INTERNET--WICD will list many APs and allow a connection to our AP. And, FIREFOX as well as KONQUEROR will run and will maintain connection to our AP. These were usable for over 2 hours. By the time the system was SHUTDOWN it was well over 5 hours and the connection was still active.

Thanks for your time, advice, help, and views!Q!!!!

jglong3