Network Traffic Analysis Tools - secuguru/security-terms GitHub Wiki

  1. Wireshark:
  • Wireshark is one of the most popular and widely used network protocol analyzers. It captures and analyzes data packets transmitted over a network in real time, allowing users to inspect packet-level details of network traffic.
  • Key Features:
    • Packet Capture: Wireshark captures live network traffic, helping users analyze the data flow between devices.
    • Protocol Analysis: It supports a wide variety of protocols, such as TCP, UDP, HTTP, DNS, etc.
    • Filtering and Searching: Powerful filters allow users to narrow down specific packets of interest from large captures.
    • Visualization: It provides visual representation tools, such as flow graphs, to help analyze packet flows and network issues.
    • Use Cases: Troubleshooting network issues, detecting anomalies, analyzing bandwidth usage, and verifying security problems.
  1. tcpdump:
  • tcpdump is a command-line packet analyzer that captures and displays network packets in real-time. It is commonly used for quick traffic analysis or when graphical tools like Wireshark are unavailable.
  • Key Features:
    • Lightweight and Fast: As a terminal-based tool, tcpdump is fast and efficient for packet capture, especially in systems where resources are limited.
    • Filtering Options: Similar to Wireshark, tcpdump allows you to apply filters to capture specific types of traffic using BPF (Berkeley Packet Filter) syntax.
    • Command-Line Integration: tcpdump is often used in conjunction with other command-line tools and can export captures to files for later analysis.
    • Use Cases: Quick traffic diagnosis, network troubleshooting, security analysis, and exporting data for further analysis in other tools like Wireshark.
  1. Burp Suite:
  • Burp Suite is a widely-used tool for web application security testing. It is designed to find vulnerabilities by intercepting and manipulating HTTP(S) traffic between the browser and a web server.
  • Key Features:
    • Proxy: Burp Suite works as an intercepting proxy, allowing users to capture, modify, and replay web requests and responses between the client and the server.
    • Scanner: The tool includes an automated scanner that detects vulnerabilities like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other web security flaws.
    • Intruder: The Intruder tool helps in automating attacks on web applications by injecting different payloads into the input fields and parameters.
    • Repeater: Repeater allows users to manually manipulate and resend requests, useful for verifying vulnerabilities.
    • Use Cases: Web application penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, and manual testing for weaknesses in web applications.

Summary

  • Wireshark is ideal for in-depth packet analysis and troubleshooting network-level problems.
  • tcpdump provides a lightweight and command-line alternative for capturing network traffic and quick diagnostics.
  • Burp Suite is focused on web application security, providing tools to intercept, analyze, and test for vulnerabilities in HTTP traffic.

These tools are critical for network administrators, cybersecurity professionals, and penetration testers to monitor, diagnose, and secure networks and applications.