packetsniffing
Packet sniffing, or packet capture, is the practice of intercepting and logging network packets as they traverse a network. The goal is to analyze traffic, diagnose problems, study network performance, troubleshoot applications, or monitor security and behavior. Sniffing can occur on wired networks by placing a network interface card into promiscuous mode, using a network tap, or relying on switch SPAN/mirror ports that duplicate traffic to a monitoring station. On wireless networks, monitoring mode enables capture of frames in the air; encrypted traffic may be unreadable without keys.
Sniffers, the software that performs capture, include tools such as Wireshark, tcpdump, Tshark, and related protocol
Ethical and legal considerations are central. Intercepting traffic without authorization is illegal in many jurisdictions and
Sniffing introduces security risks: captured data can reveal credentials, confidential information, and personally identifiable information. Defenses