Chapter 1. Getting Started with Wireshark – What, Why, and How?

Sniffing and interpreting traffic on the network has been and always will be an integral part of a network analyst's job profile. It is not only restricted to the network analyst's profession, but it also plays a significant role in the fields of software development, network security, and digital forensics. Wireshark is the tool of choice at most workplaces and does not seem to slow down in terms of popularity and features, hence making it a "must-know" tool. This chapter gives a briefing on:

• Sniffing and its purpose
• Tools of the trade
• Getting up and running with Wireshark