You don’t need to fish for Wireshark on sketchy websites or hide the fact that you're using it.īut similar to many IT tools, they can be used for malicious and harmful activities. There’s nothing inherently malicious about the type of work you can do with it. Wireshark is a highly credible network analysis and optimization tool. Wireshark also offers built-in data visualization tools, saving you time from having to export and import your data into a separate visualization tool. Using live data filters, Wireshark slices and divides all captured data into categories that meet your specific search criteria.Īnd it doesn’t stop there. It can capture anywhere from dozens to tens of thousands of data packets at a time.īut unlike many other packet sniffers, Wireshark can be used for both real-time network analysis and troubleshooting, as well as offline and post-incident. It starts by accessing a network connection and grabbing whole sections of data traffic in real-time. Like most packet sniffers out there, Wireshark captures, filters, and visualizes network data and traffic. To many, Wireshark is the best way to learn more about the ins and outs of your network. You could find use cases of Wireshark in the networks of government agencies, commercial corporations, and even non-profit organizations. Wireshark isn’t a niche tool that’s only used by a few amateurs and underground networks. That way, the network protocol is able to deliver it to the right location.

How individuals data packets are handled depends on the transmission protocol in use.īut similarly to real-life packages, data packets include information about their source and destination.

In order to transport data within a network, it gets grouped into units known as data packets. Wireshark plays a major role in every IT professional's toolkit, but that doesn’t mean only certified IT professionals get to use it to secure and understand networks. Using it, they could access the contents of suspected transactions in order catch criminal and malicious activity. It also gives cybersecurity professionals and cybercrime forensic investigators the ability to trace network connections. Wireshark can be used to troubleshoot networks with connection and performance issues. Wireshark was first developed in 1998 and known under the name Ethereal-its name changed to Wireshark in 2006, almost 10 years after. It also gives you the freedom to browse the data traffic going through the network and interact with it in real-time. It’s a piece of software that allows you to capture data packets from a private or public network connection. At its most basic, Wireshark is an open-source and free network analyzer.

What is wireshark use for in networking