Promiscuous Mode

In an Ethernet LAN (local area network), promiscuous mode is defined as a mode of operation in which every data packet sent can be intercepted and read by a network adapter. It is required to be supported by each network adapter and by the input/output driver in the host computer as well. Promiscuous mode is often used to monitor the activity in a network. Promiscuous mode is a setting in contrast to a non-promiscuous mode. When packets are transmitted in non-promiscuous mode, all the network devices listen in on the data to determine if the network address contained in the packets is related to them. If there is no match, the data packet is forwarded along to the next network device, a process that continues until it reaches the correct network address. Once it has reached the correct destination, that device is then able to receive and read the data.