Hackers sniff credentials during transit by capturing Internet packets. Which term best describes this activity?

Hackers sniff credentials during transit by capturing Internet packets. Which term best describes this activity?

• A. Packet Sniffing
• B. Wire Sniffing
• C. MITM Attack
• D. Rainbow Table Attack

Answer: (B)

Intercepting traffic as it moves across a network means listening to the data being transmitted and reading any credentials that pass by. Among the options, wire sniffing is the term that specifically points to eavesdropping on a wired network medium, capturing the packets as they travel along physical connections. This matches the idea of obtaining credentials in transit by capturing the traffic on the wire. This differs from MITM attacks, which involve actively positioning between two endpoints to intercept and potentially modify traffic rather than simply listening to the wire. Rainbow table attacks are offline password-cracking techniques that don’t involve capturing live traffic. So, wire sniffing is the best fit for describing the act of passively capturing Internet packets over a wired connection to steal credentials.

Intercepting traffic as it moves across a network means listening to the data being transmitted and reading any credentials that pass by. Among the options, wire sniffing is the term that specifically points to eavesdropping on a wired network medium, capturing the packets as they travel along physical connections. This matches the idea of obtaining credentials in transit by capturing the traffic on the wire.

This differs from MITM attacks, which involve actively positioning between two endpoints to intercept and potentially modify traffic rather than simply listening to the wire. Rainbow table attacks are offline password-cracking techniques that don’t involve capturing live traffic. So, wire sniffing is the best fit for describing the act of passively capturing Internet packets over a wired connection to steal credentials.