Having connected in wireless connection to surf the internet may cause us to be unaware of the password given for wireless connection’s authentication.
While happily connected, some of our colleagues might ask for the same password to connect to the wireless connection. So, sometimes we don’t remember it or we do not have the luxury of time to just type the password in a notes or any place elsewhere.
That is when it is needed to find another way for retrieving the password for connecting the access point where our laptop or workstation has already been connected.
Below are alternative of steps can be done in Ubuntu Linux distribution operating system :
1. Check the connection file properties.
Actually all the previous connection which has already been successfully established has been saved in a file located in /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections. Using the command ‘ls -al’ can show all connection file property in the form of a list as shown below :
user@hostname:/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections$ ls -al total 496 drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Nov 11 17:33 . drwxr-xr-x 8 root root 4096 Jun 25 05:59 .. -rw------- 1 root root 275 Mar 23 2016 XXX @XXX -rw------- 1 root root 275 Mar 23 2016 XXX @XXX -rw------- 1 root root 275 Mar 22 2016 XXX @XXX -rw------- 1 root root 294 Oct 1 2015 XXX -rw------- 1 root root 325 Nov 3 2015 XXXXXXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 362 Mei 31 15:13 AndroidAP -rw------- 1 root root 422 Aug 29 09:05 Andromax-XXX-XXXX -rw------- 1 root root 435 Jun 30 08:08 Andromax-XXX-XXXX -rw------- 1 root root 311 Sep 4 2015 Aston -rw------- 1 root root 315 Nov 3 2015 XXXXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 287 Jan 25 2016 xxxxxx-hotspot -rw------- 1 root root 408 Nov 11 17:33 BOLT!-XXXX -rw------- 1 root root 421 Jul 25 14:29 BOLT-XXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 382 Mar 23 2016 BOLT! SUPER 4G-XXXX -rw------- 1 root root 335 May 23 2015 BOLT!Super4G-XXXX -rw------- 1 root root 279 Jan 18 2016 XXXXXXXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 360 Feb 3 2016 xxxx_xxxx -rw------- 1 root root 1021 Mar 18 2016 xxxx -rw------- 1 root root 416 Sep 30 10:38 xxxx x -rw------- 1 root root 285 Jun 10 13:30 XXXX XXXXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 195 May 8 2015 XXXXXXX-X -rw------- 1 root root 371 Jan 18 2016 xxxxx.xxx.xx -rw------- 1 root root 294 Apr 15 2015 XXX -rw------- 1 root root 212 Nov 24 2014 Galaxy S4 Network -rw------- 1 root root 317 Sep 3 2015 xxxxxx -rw------- 1 root root 326 Nov 20 2015 XXX XXXXXXXXX XX -rw------- 1 root root 312 May 6 2015 Groovia@XXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 205 Dec 17 2014 Guest -rw------- 1 root root 275 May 3 2016 GUESTX-X -rw------- 1 root root 314 Apr 6 2015 Guest-Hotspot -rw------- 1 root root 225 Jun 7 2015 Galaxy S5 Network -rw------- 1 root root 374 May 27 22:46 xxxxxxxxxxxx -rw------- 1 root root 329 Nov 11 2015 xxxxxxxxxxxx -rw------- 1 root root 223 Dec 3 2015 xxxxxxxxxxxx 1 -rw------- 1 root root 321 Dec 6 2015 xxxxxxxxxxxx 2 -rw------- 1 root root 321 Dec 6 2015 xxxxxxxxxxxx x-xxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxx -rw------- 1 root root 321 Dec 6 2015 xxxxxxxxxxxx x-xxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxx -rw------- 1 root root 321 Dec 6 2015 xxxxxxxxxxxx x-xxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxx -rw------- 1 root root 321 Dec 6 2015 xxxxxxxxxxxx x-xxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxx -rw------- 1 root root 321 Dec 6 2015 xxxxxxxxxxxx x-xxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxx -rw------- 1 root root 321 Dec 6 2015 xxxxxxxxxxxx x-xxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxx -rw------- 1 root root 330 Jul 26 16:12 hhonors -rw------- 1 root root 344 Jul 26 16:14 hhonors-public -rw------- 1 root root 316 Nov 2 2015 XXXXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 283 Jun 1 10:26 XXXXXX XXXXXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 213 May 25 2015 Hotspot 6 -rw------- 1 root root 350 Oct 19 23:25 Hotspot 7 -rw------- 1 root root 219 Jan 19 2015 Hotspot 8 -rw------- 1 root root 219 Oct 1 2015 XXXXXXXXXXXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 423 Jun 30 08:09 HUAWEI-E934 -rw------- 1 root root 353 Jun 23 14:15 HUAWEI-EDF0 -rw------- 1 root root 369 Jun 17 09:46 XXXXXXXXXXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 412 Oct 25 09:50 XXX -rw------- 1 root root 358 Jun 2 10:56 xxxxxxx -rw------- 1 root root 322 Sep 3 2015 XXXXX_XXXX-XXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 426 Aug 20 08:50 XXXXXXXXXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 231 May 10 2015 [email protected] -rw------- 1 root root 339 Dec 6 2014 xxxxxxxxxxxx -rw------- 1 root root 217 Oct 1 2015 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 368 Jan 28 2016 Lenovo A6000 -rw------- 1 root root 317 Oct 12 2015 LenovoX -rw------- 1 root root 233 Jan 26 2015 linksys -rw------- 1 root root 283 May 23 21:32 Linksys00708 -rw------- 1 root root 283 May 10 2016 Linksys00952 -rw------- 1 root root 373 May 10 2016 Linksys00952 1 -rw------- 1 root root 235 Sep 3 2015 linksys 1 -rw------- 1 root root 235 Sep 17 2015 linksys 2 -rw------- 1 root root 320 May 26 2015 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 434 Oct 5 10:34 Lumire Ballroom -rw------- 1 root root 428 Oct 26 18:04 Lumire Hotel -rw------- 1 root root 328 Sep 7 14:24 LUMIRE -rw------- 1 root root 340 Sep 7 14:24 lumire_XXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 211 May 8 2015 XXXXXXXXXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 285 Mar 22 2016 Mercure Wifi -rw------- 1 root root 312 Sep 16 2015 Mercure Free -rw------- 1 root root 225 Sep 16 2015 Mercure-HotSpoT -rw------- 1 root root 377 Jan 18 2016 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 211 Nov 24 2014 Mi Phone Network -rw------- 1 root root 330 Aug 3 10:22 XXXXXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 219 Nov 3 2015 M_Regency_4C -rw------- 1 root root 219 Nov 2 2015 M_Regency_4D -rw------- 1 root root 331 Nov 2 2015 M_regency_Hotel -rw------- 1 root root 329 Nov 3 2015 XXXXXXXXX@AE70 -rw------- 1 root root 361 May 27 22:49 netzone -rw------- 1 root root 275 Jun 20 21:22 net-zone -rw------- 1 root root 365 Jun 24 22:18 net-zone 1 -rw------- 1 root root 275 May 23 21:44 netzone 1 -rw------- 1 root root 412 Aug 24 09:18 XXXXXXXXXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 298 Oct 1 2015 PBN01 -rw------- 1 root root 235 Nov 16 2015 Public Wifi XXXXXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 293 Mar 22 2016 XXXXXXXXXXXXXX @MCC -rw------- 1 root root 322 Feb 14 2015 xxxxxxxk-3 24GHz -rw------- 1 root root 362 Feb 3 2016 XXXXX 503 -rw------- 1 root root 323 Nov 3 2015 XXXXXXXXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 231 Mar 31 2015 Sheraton-GuestRoom -rw------- 1 root root 309 Nov 2 2015 xxxx -rw------- 1 root root 228 Nov 25 2014 XXXX -rw------- 1 root root 402 Oct 27 09:03 XXXX007 -rw------- 1 root root 415 Sep 7 09:44 XXXX008 -rw------- 1 root root 313 Oct 8 2015 XXXX01 -rw------- 1 root root 343 Feb 15 2016 XXXX02 -rw------- 1 root root 402 Sep 20 08:10 XXXX02 1 -rw------- 1 root root 417 Oct 27 09:06 XXXX_XXX -rw------- 1 root root 348 Feb 3 2016 XXXXXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 215 Mar 31 2015 XXXX-Temp -rw------- 1 root root 373 May 10 2016 small-network -rw------- 1 root root 267 Jun 7 09:54 XXXXX -rw------- 1 root root 312 Apr 1 2015 XXXXX_21A4F8 -rw------- 1 root root 239 Dec 3 2015 THE RESIDENCE -rw------- 1 root root 325 Nov 2 2015 TP-LINK_8488 -rw------- 1 root root 229 Nov 2 2015 TP-LINK_AP_473EBF -rw------- 1 root root 329 Nov 1 2015 TP-LINK_F08488 -rw------- 1 root root 203 Sep 16 2015 xxxxx -rw------- 1 root root 343 Jan 25 2016 xxxxxx -rw------- 1 root root 211 Oct 8 2015 @wifi.xx -rw------- 1 root root 297 Nov 16 2015 WIFI-PUSINTEK -rw------- 1 root root 267 Jun 24 22:22 Wired connection 1 -rw------- 1 root root 246 Jan 27 2016 Wired connection 2 -rw------- 1 root root 246 Mar 23 2016 Wired connection 3 -rw------- 1 root root 246 Jun 13 08:48 Wired connection 4 -rw------- 1 root root 246 Jun 13 08:49 Wired connection 5 -rw------- 1 root root 221 Jan 22 2015 Wireless 8th Floor user@hostname:/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections$
2. To be able to specifically choose the file which is suitable with the access point or the wireless connection intended or to be searched, just combine it with the following command :
ls -al | grep
For an example :
user@hostname:/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections$ cat aston cat: aston: Permission denied user@hostname:/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections$
3. Since the file itself owned by root, normal user cannot be used to display the content of wireless connection file. As shown in the above output comand’s execution. So, switch to root user first as shown below :
user@hostname:/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections$ sudo su - [sudo] password for user: root@hostname:~#
4. After successfully switch to root user, the content of wireless connection property file can be shown by typing the following command :
cat file_name
Below is the sample of output command’s execution ::
root@hostname:~# cd /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/ root@hostname:/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections# cat Guest
Below is the content of the file :
[connection] id=Aston uuid=9f63e5e2-85fe-42bb-9b9b-e5a328d4b734 type=802-11-wireless [802-11-wireless] ssid=Aston mode=infrastructure mac-address=5C:51:4F:70:2E:07 security=802-11-wireless-security [802-11-wireless-security] key-mgmt=wpa-psk auth-alg=open psk=playback [ipv4] method=auto [ipv6] method=auto root@hostname:/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections#
5. The intended pasword is located in the ‘psk’ field variable and in the above context, the value of it is ‘playback’. So, the wireless password of SSID named ‘aston’ is ‘playback’.
Finally it can be shared among your colleagues or anyone who really need it.