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morrownr / USB-WiFi

USB WiFi Adapter Information for Linux
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ALFA AWUS036AXM usb wifi adapter generating xhci_hcd transfer error #323

Open ncul777 opened 1 year ago

ncul777 commented 1 year ago

Setup:

The VM detects the Wifi adapter fine

$ lsusb
Bus 002 Device 012: ID 0e8d:7961 MediaTek Inc. Wireless_Device
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 80ee:0021 VirtualBox USB Tablet
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

When I run airodump-ng, it does work (although not convinced it is stable/reliable), however there are many error being generated identical to:

$ dmesg | grep xhci
[44519.918798] xhci_hcd 0000:00:0c.0: ERROR Transfer event TRB DMA ptr not part of current TD ep_index 8 comp_code 13
[44519.918858] xhci_hcd 0000:00:0c.0: Looking for event-dma 00000000160e5bb0 trb-start 00000000160e5bc0 trb-end 00000000160e5bf0 seg-start 00000000160e5000 seg-end 00000000160e5ff0

If I use another ALFA adapter, AWUS036AC (with aircrack driver) then there are no errors

Appreciate any suggestions of how to debug or what to try.

Thanks.

morrownr commented 1 year ago

Hi @culliard

I am working on rebuilding one of the test systems in my lab today and I can add a partition to do some testing regarding this issue. Here are some questions that will help:

With this info, I will try to duplicate what you are seeing so that I have a better idea of what is going on. I can't go fast due to health issues but will do my best. The errors you are showing are showing up as usb problems so this could be an adventure.

Nick

ncul777 commented 1 year ago

Hi Nick

To answer your questions:

BTW the same error also happens with Windows host and the errors may also appear even before running airodump

I'm wondering if the same happens with native ubuntu install but I'm not able to test that. If there is anything more I can provide, please let me know.

Thanks a lot for your help!

bjlockie commented 1 year ago

Does USB pass through go through a virtualbox software filter? I wonder too if it happens on native systems. A wifi 5 device works. Is the wifi 6 device connecting to a wifi 5 router? Are both devices connected at USB 3 speeds (maybe the wifi 5 device is connecting  via USB 2 (on a USB 3 port) and the wifi 6 device is trying to use USB 3?

morrownr commented 1 year ago

I wonder too if it happens on native systems.

I tested that within 5 minutes of getting the answers from @culliard . The answer is no. Test system:

I was not running a vm, this is bare metal. This is my main dev box.

This result suggests the problem may not be in the mt7921au driver but that is not for sure. Adding a vm to a system and trying to run usb wifi adapters via the vm complicates things many fold. If a user is looking to learn, this can be a hard knocks learning experience but if you are just wanting to learn pen testing and security analysis, get a cheap little dedicated machine like a RasPi so you can run bare metal or dual boot so you can run bare metal.

ncul777 commented 1 year ago

Thanks for the test and info. Unfortunately a VM is required in our solution. I guess I will raise a query with VirtualBox.

morrownr commented 1 year ago

@culliard

My answer to @bjlockie was not meant to send you to VB as that was just a quick bare metal test to establish a baseline. However, it might be a good idea to check in with VB to see if there is information available. I'll go ahead and set up to do a test with VB on a test system. It just won't happen fast as I mentioned.

I don't know much about your requirement but if base metal doesn't work and dual boot doesn't work, what about using Linux for the host and Windows as the client?

ZerBea commented 1 year ago

Please take a look at this report: https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=202541

morrownr commented 1 year ago

@ZerBea

Yes sir, that is the issue from hell. I think I remember reading it at the time.

Some observations that I have had over the years:

That observation is one of the prime reasons that I started this site. After starting this site and watching the analytical data, I can add some more observations:

Getting good information to users is of paramount importance. I think I need to add a paragraph to the mt7921au section in the Plug and Play list even though I already say it in other places:

Low cost adapters may work well depending on your use case but low cost adapters do use low cost components and will not perform well in many use cases.

In the stickied post, I am doing some testing to try to help get the bottom of an issue. To see the issue, you have to scroll to the bottom and look at the last few messages. I've been testing today. I have tried to get close to the hardware the OP's were using but I started testing with an Alfa AXML. The AXML is in AP mode, 5 GHz, and the client is showing a signal of about -70. Damn if the AXML is not hanging in there and producting stable results while I pound the hell out of it over time. I can't get it to go down.

I do have one low cost mt7921au based adapter, cf-951ax, but I'l either have to rearrange things or use my notebook computer because the range is far less than the AXML. Testing will continue but will take time.

@morrownr

ZerBea commented 1 year ago

I agree because I've had the same experience. Luckily hcxdumptool does not rely on upper bands or a high transmission rate. A (WPA-PSK) CLIENT can't resist to connect (hcxdumptool is targeting its EAPOL M2 and/or its EAP-ID). If the target is an AP, hcxdumptool is targeting its PMKID. We are talking about layer 2 attacks only, because it is not acting on higher layers (e.g. like Evil Twin). And it is not acting on layer 1, because this need to modify the firmware and the driver.

To compare the AXML with an ACM and an ACHM, I ordered such a device. With regard to a penetration testing task, the ACM is on the first rank, followed by the ACHM. Let's see how the AXML performs. Good antennas and high sensitivity of the device is mandatory, while TX power is meaningless.

Penetration testing system to perform Line of Sight (LoS) attacks: https://github.com/ZerBea/hcxdumptool/wiki/Penetration-testing-system-5

BTW: I solved the USB3 problem by using a simple USB2 hub (quick and dirty solution, but it is working as expected).

morrownr commented 1 year ago

@ZerBea

To compare the AXML with an ACM and an ACHM, I ordered such a device.

Something interesting that I have noticed about the AXML is that the actually performance in managed and AP modes is better that what you would expect given the dBm signal you will see. It took a while for this to click with me. I haven't check it with monitor mode as far as signal goes. I did do some basic monitor mode checking like injection and it worked. I would like to see your results.

ZerBea commented 1 year ago

@morrownr Unfortunately we can't trust the (received/transmitted) signal strength reported by WiFi devices, because that highly depend on the quality of the device and the firmware. Since I've retired, I have no access to a spectrum analyzer like https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/us/products/test-and-measurement/signal-and-spectrum-analyzers_63665.html and a I really miss this laboratory equipment.

Maybe a tinySA ultra will do a good job, too: https://www.tinysa.org/wiki/ but it could be a good idea to read more reviews about its limitations: https://www.rtl-sdr.com/tinysa-ultra-reviews-a-0-1-mhz-6-ghz-spectrum-analyzer-for-120/ If anyone has experience with a tinysa (ultra), please report.

For sure, I'll keep you in the loop regarding the test.

ZerBea commented 1 year ago

I started the test series here: https://github.com/ZerBea/hcxdumptool/discussions/361

Out of scope in this thread, but first tests shown that rtl8xxxu driver is broken on kernel 6.6.1!

ZerBea commented 1 year ago

removed, wrong thread.