spacehuhntech/esp8266_deauther

esp8266_deauther is a piece of firmware that runs on the ESP8266, a small and very cheap WiFi-capable microcontroller chip made by Espressif. Once flashed onto a board that uses this chip, the firmware turns it into a tool for scanning nearby 2.4 GHz WiFi devices, blocking selected connections, and broadcasting fake networks. The README pitches it both as a security testing tool and as a learning project for people getting into WiFi, microcontrollers, Arduino, and electronics. The main feature is the deauthentication attack. In 802.11 WiFi, an unencrypted management frame can tell a connected device to disconnect from its access point. The README explains that many older devices are still vulnerable to this and that the situation is improving with WiFi 6, but a lot of outdated and cheap IoT hardware remains exposed. With this firmware, a user can run the attack against their own network to see whether their devices are vulnerable and whether they should upgrade. The README is mostly a set of pointers to the project's separate website at deauther.com. There are quick links for buying a pre-built board, downloading the firmware, following a DIY tutorial to build one, reading usage docs, and an FAQ. One small detail kept in the README is that the password for a built-in network named pwned is the string deauther. The disclaimer is stated clearly. The project is a proof of concept for testing and education. The author notes that the ESP8266 and its SDK were not built for this purpose, so bugs are expected. The README tells users to only use it against networks and devices they own and to check their local laws first.