A network sniffer captures data packets entering and leaving a computer connected to a network, used to identify and troubleshoot network problems, manage network traffic, and detect hackers. There are two types of sniffers: portable and distributed. Network administrators can protect their network environment from hackers using anti-sniffing software, switched network environment, or data encryption.
A network sniffer is a powerful utility software primarily used to monitor network traffic in real time by capturing data packets entering and leaving a computer connected to a network. Collected data is analyzed to identify and troubleshoot network problems, manage network traffic and detect hackers who also use network sniffers to carry out their malicious activities in a network. Hackers’ activities include cracking user codenames or identification numbers and passwords in order to facilitate computer fraud such as transferring funds from one account to another and other illegal transactions.
Network sniffers come in two types: portable and distributed. Portable sniffers are standalone systems that can be configured into a personal computer, and distributed sniffers are systems installed by large organizations with an extensive network managed and controlled through a network operations center. Network sniffers work by switching the network interface card (NIC) to promiscuous mode so that the NIC does not ignore all data arriving in frames. Instead, the NIC will pass any data it receives to the kernel, which is the heart of a computer’s operating system and the link between applications and all data processing done at the hardware level. Only a superuser or administrator can switch the NIC to promiscuous mode for network security reasons.
Network sniffers are intended to improve the performance of a computer network. The proliferation of hackers using network sniffers for their own bad intentions and even organized cyber crimes, however, has given network sniffers a bad reputation and all the more reason for network administrators to think about network security. net. Network sniffers, however, are still needed to maintain a network’s efficiency, and your only recourse is to fight hackers by protecting your network from unauthorized sniffing and other malicious manipulation.
Network administrators can protect their network environment from the malicious actions of network spies or hackers using anti-sniffing software. These programs will regularly scan your network to see which of your NICs is running in promiscuous mode. Another security option is to adapt to a switched network environment so that data packets traveling within the network are delivered only to the intended user’s computer.
A more reliable form of network security is data encryption. The pieces of data in a packet are converted into an unreadable form, except for the source and destination address of the data, to make sure that the data packet goes to the correct recipient. Reading the data will require decryption on the receiving end. The data that the hacker will see, therefore, is limited to the sender and recipient addresses.
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