What is meant by Packet Sniffing?
The term "packet sniffing" refers to the interception and analysis of data packets transmitted over a network. This involves capturing the contents of the data packets and examining them to gain information about network traffic, identify potential security issues, or monitor network performance.
Typical software functions in the area of "packet sniffing":
- Traffic Capture: Capturing and storing data packets sent and received over the network.
- Protocol Analysis: Analyzing the captured packets to identify the network protocols used and communication patterns.
- Real-time Monitoring: Live monitoring of network traffic to immediately detect anomalies or security-related incidents.
- Filtering and Searching: Filtering captured data packets based on specific criteria and searching for specific information.
- Logging and Reporting: Detailed logging of captured packets and generating reports for analysis and auditing.
- Data Visualization: Displaying captured data in graphical form for better overview and interpretation of network activities.
Examples of "packet sniffing":
- Monitoring HTTP traffic to identify unencrypted login credentials.
- Analyzing DNS traffic to detect unusual domain requests that may indicate malware.
- Inspecting email traffic to detect spam or phishing attempts.
- Capturing and analyzing VoIP packets to troubleshoot quality issues in internet telephony.
- Real-time monitoring of network traffic to quickly identify and respond to DDoS attacks.
- Investigating network connections to detect data exfiltration by malicious actors.