Re: Alternatives

[RB <aoz.syn () gmail com>]

> > > Since WinXP with a wireless card precludes using nmap for all but basic
> > > sweeps, I was wondering if anyone in the group might know
> > > if using a liveCD of BackTrack or another Linux distro might work?

I'm a little backwards on this - what functionality is limited in nmap
when not working over an ethernet device (excluding the obvious of L2
stuff)?

> It's a Verizon wireless card setup. It does have a telephone number
> associated with it, so my guess is that it is a cell phone modem.

Indeed it is - likely a Sierra Wireless AirCard 5xx series.  An
inordinately large proportion of cell modems present themselves as a
serial device over USB, regardless of connection technology (cardbus,
ExpressCard, etc.).  They're all treated just like dial-up modems, the
only difference is you dial a combination of '#', '*', and a couple of
numbers instead of the familiar 7 or 10 digits.

> I know that nmap works with a standard wifi because I've used it in Linux
> (for basic scans only) and it seemed to work fine.

WiFi cards and cell cards are utterly different in implementation:
WiFi cards try really hard to present themselves as a modified
ethernet interface, whereas cell modems take a completely different
(easier?) route and force PPP connections.

> I don't know if Linux would even have drivers for this card. It's probably
> worth a look, since this is my only Internet connection at the moment.
> But if I can get a linux box up and running, at least I could scan myself
> and practice with the tool...

It most certainly does; their implementations are so standard you can
often tell the generic usbserial driver to associate to a particular
vendor & product ID and it'll work even though there are more specific
drivers for many cards.  However, the card will still be presented as
a serial/PPP device instead of the ethernet you may be looking for.

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