Packet Sniffing

A packet sniffer, often known as a network analyzer, is a computer program or hardware that has the ability to intercept and store data transmitting over a network. As the information moves across a network, the intruder captures the packets, decodes and analyzes the content according to various specifications. In wired LAN (local area network) environment, packet sniffing can be done to intercept data on portions or all parts of the data depending on the structure of the network. For this reason, it would be wise for individuals to monitor each data packets in a LAN with a monitoring port. The purpose of a monitoring port is to mirror each packet moving through all ports of a network switch. The technique of packet sniffing is rather extensible and can be used for the following: To analyze network issues. To detect network intrusion. To gather network statistics. To spy on a network and collect sensitive data. To reverse protocol used on a network.