What is the primary purpose of a packet sniffer?

The correct answer is B. To capture and analyze network traffic. A packet sniffer (e.g., Wireshark) is designed to capture and analyze network traffic - intercepting packets as they travel across a network to inspect their contents, headers, and metadata. This makes B correct. The distractors each describe different tools: A describes a firewa

Information Gathering and Vulnerability Analysis

Question

Options

ATo filter out unnecessary network traffic
BTo capture and analyze network traffic
CTo prevent unauthorized access to the network
DTo encrypt data transmissions

How the community answered

(30 responses)

B
90% (27)
C
3% (1)
D
7% (2)

Explanation

A packet sniffer (e.g., Wireshark) is designed to capture and analyze network traffic - intercepting packets as they travel across a network to inspect their contents, headers, and metadata. This makes B correct.

The distractors each describe different tools: A describes a firewall or traffic shaper, C describes access control systems like firewalls or IDS/IPS, and D describes encryption protocols like TLS/SSL - none of which are the primary function of a sniffer.

Memory tip: Think of a sniffer as a "nose" on the network - it sniffs (captures) what's passing by and lets you examine it. Sniffers observe; they don't block, encrypt, or filter.

Topics

#Packet Sniffing#Network Traffic Analysis#Network Monitoring#Reconnaissance

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