I need to find out if any program is secretly accessing saved wifi passwords on my Windows 10 computer. Is there a way to do so?
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1What makes you concerned this may be happening? Generally, applications will leave network connection duties to the OS. Any application trying to directly access and capture the connection information will only want to do so in order to send that data elsewhere or to "assist" with future connections on a different system. But before you get worried, you need to get us more data.– music2myearCommented Jul 18, 2021 at 3:40
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Does this answer your question? On Windows 10, can programs read saved wifi passwords behind my back?– Tim_StewartCommented Jul 18, 2021 at 16:12
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@music2myear thank you. I can’t remember what prompted me to be concerned, but the general line of thinking is I have no idea if Windows is protecting saved Wifi passwords from programs that are not part of Windows? Can they just read saved Wifi passwords without the user’s knowledge or consent?– AskerofCuriousQuestionsCommented Jul 18, 2021 at 17:16
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@Tim_Stewart thank you. I think this question is just diving deeper from that. Basically I need to know if my saved wifi passwords can be read, and if so how do i find out if they are indeed being read– AskerofCuriousQuestionsCommented Jul 18, 2021 at 17:19
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1 Answer
In general, rely on the integrity of the applications you've installed (and on keeping your machine physically safe from installation of malware, e.g., while traveling). It is possible for an application, such as Nirsoft's WiFi Key View, to read the cached passwords in Windows. Before installing an application, check it with a few anti-malware tools, such as through VirusTotal.
However, why is this of concern? Your WiFi password is only useful for a particular router, and simply allows communication. Do you believe someone is obtaining free WiFi that you are subsidizing? Id so, contact your ISP.
Note that the password does not identify the user, and, for most networks, even those with WPA2, is not impossible to obtain remotely. For WPA2-PSK (AES), more often used in enterprise networks, there would be some advantage to a hacker finding the passkey on a machine, though.
The IoT might have more severe security issues than Windows, however. If you have smart light bulbs, TV's, smart speakers, door cameras, etc., with the WiFi password, give thought to securing them.
answered Jul 18, 2021 at 3:40
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Thank you. If a program is trying to read saved wifi passwords, will Windows ask the user for consent or notify, flag or mark the program doing this in any way for us to know? Is there any way for us to find out at all? Commented Jul 18, 2021 at 17:21
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If it needs to run as Administrator, you might need to provide UAC consent... or not, if it's triggered as a scheduled task. However, se edits above. Commented Jul 18, 2021 at 19:07
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Does the access to saved wifi passwords require Admin? Commented Jul 18, 2021 at 19:54
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