What is Network Sniffing?

Network Sniffing is a technique for constantly monitoring and recording all data packets that pass via a network.

Network/system administrators use sniffers to monitor and troubleshoot network traffic. Attackers use sniffers to intercept data packets, including sensitive passwords and account information. Sniffers can be implemented as hardware or software in the system. A threat actor can use a packet sniffer in promiscuous mode to collect and analyse all network traffic.

A packet sniffer is another name for a network sniffer. A packet sniffer is named because it sniffs every packet of data that passes across the network to avoid network problems. The packet sniffer technology investigates criminality, hackers, and data theft. Its users can utilise this tool for both ethical and unethical purposes.

Network Sniffing Can Be Active or Passive

Active Sniffing.

Active Sniffing entails sniffing the switch. A switch is a network device that links two sites. The switch regulates the movement of data between its ports by constantly checking the MAC address of each port to ensure that data is sent to the correct destination. Sniffers actively send traffic into the LAN to monitor target communication and enable traffic sniffing. Active sniffing occurs in a variety of ways.

Passive Sniffing.

The attacker does not engage with the target during this sniffing. They connect to the network and gather packets transmitted and received by the network, which are sent and received between devices. This sniffing is done via the hub. An attacker connects to the hub using their PC. The attacker requires only a LAN account.

Types of Network Sniffers

1. Mac sniffers: Hackers use this type to sniff data related to the MAC address filter.
2. LAN sniffer: Attackers primarily employ this device in internal systems or networks, and it can scan an entire range of IP addresses.
3. Protocol sniffer: It sniffs the information on the network for network protocols.
4. IP sniffers: This type can collect all data related to a specific IP filter. It stores data packets for analysis and diagnosis. IP sniffers capture network traffic and log it, typically in a human-readable manner for analysis. They can be used by network administrators and hackers of all types to examine the present state of a network, uncover network vulnerabilities, and evaluate network performance.
5. ARP sniffers: This tool can send packets to both network hosts’ ARP caches rather than just the host and the network administrator. It also enables attackers to translate IP addresses to MAC addresses to perform packet spoofing, other vulnerabilities, or poisoning attacks.
6. Password sniffers: This tool can gather information from network traffic to get passwords. Hackers would target sessions to obtain credentials and other information. Websites not using SSL protocol encryption to protect themselves are vulnerable to attacks and exploitation.

Use of Network Sniffers

Hackers primarily use network sniffers to obtain passwords and other sensitive information. The sniffer decodes data in packets as they travel from source to destination, client to server, or between organisations. They acted as intermediaries and used a packet injection attack to obtain the data. A network sniffer, for example, can monitor network traffic to identify someone who is consuming too much bandwidth at a university or firm. They are also utilised to identify security flaws in our systems.

Today, however, black hat hacking is a common practice for them. In the wrong hands, network sniffing software can enable anyone with little to no hacking experience to monitor network traffic across vulnerable WiFi networks to steal passwords and other sensitive data. This can give network sniffing tools a poor reputation; however, network sniffers serve many valuable reasons.

How Does Sniffing Work?

The Network sniffing utility intercepts and logs network traffic with the help of data packet sniffing software. This software allows you to access information from an entire network or just a portion.

We all know that networks are used to transport data packets. The data can be vast and sending it all in one packet strains the network, jeopardising its integrity. As a result, when a data file is sent, it is often broken down into smaller pieces and sent to the desired location.

The data packet contains the destination address, total number of packets, reassembly sequence, and source address. The data packet’s footers and headers were removed after it arrived at its destination. A network filter can remove packets destined for different networks.

After receiving network data, following steps are executed:

1. Individual packets (sections of network data) and their contents are saved.
2. The software saves the data packet’s header to save space.
3. The user can access and assess the information after decoding and formatting the network data.
4. Packet sniffers analyse network communication failures, troubleshoot network connections, and reconstruct entire data streams intended for other computers. Some network sniffing software extracts passwords, PINs, and other sensitive data.

How can iZOOlogic help my Company or Organisation?

Find out how iZOOlogic can protect your infrastructure from Network Sniffing attacks through our Incident Response solutions under our Threat Management Services.

To find out more about how iZOOlogic can help protect your company’s cyber security, schedule a demo.