An Intrusion Detection System (IDS) has alerted the network administrator to a possibly malicious sequence of packets sent to a Web server in the network's external DMZ. The packet traffic was capture

A protocol analyzer such as Wireshark is specifically designed to read PCAP files and fully dissect each packet's headers, protocol fields, and payload to reveal whether the traffic matches known attack signatures or benign behavior. Unlike tools that act on live traffic, a protocol analyzer allows detailed post-capture forensic inspection of the exact packet sequence that triggered the IDS alert. This makes it the correct tool for manually validating or refuting an IDS alert against saved network evidence.

A network sniffer captures live traffic in real time and cannot retroactively analyze packets already saved in a PCAP file.

An IPS operates inline on live traffic to block or permit packets in real time and provides no facility for inspecting saved PCAP files.

A vulnerability scanner probes hosts for known software weaknesses and does not analyze captured packet data to assess malicious intent.