What term describes a program or device that monitors data traveling over a network?

What term describes a program or device that monitors data traveling over a network?

• A. Firewall
• B. Switch
• C. Sniffer
• D. Router

Answer: (C)

A sniffer is a tool designed to observe network traffic by capturing the packets that travel across a network. It works by placing a network interface into a mode where it can listen to and record the data being transmitted, often treating the traffic as if it were on a wiretap. This lets you inspect headers and payloads, analyze communication patterns, and troubleshoot or monitor network activity. Sniffers can be passive, meaning they don’t interfere with the traffic, and they’re commonly used with software like Wireshark to visualize and interpret the captured data. Because sniffers can reveal sensitive information, their use should be authorized and ethical. A firewall, in contrast, enforces security policies by filtering traffic and blocking or allowing packets based on rules. A switch forwards frames to the correct port based on MAC addresses and can optionally mirror traffic for monitoring, but its primary role isn’t to monitor all data traveling the network. A router directs traffic between networks, determining the best path and routing packets, not mainly inspecting the content of all transmissions.

A sniffer is a tool designed to observe network traffic by capturing the packets that travel across a network. It works by placing a network interface into a mode where it can listen to and record the data being transmitted, often treating the traffic as if it were on a wiretap. This lets you inspect headers and payloads, analyze communication patterns, and troubleshoot or monitor network activity. Sniffers can be passive, meaning they don’t interfere with the traffic, and they’re commonly used with software like Wireshark to visualize and interpret the captured data. Because sniffers can reveal sensitive information, their use should be authorized and ethical.

A firewall, in contrast, enforces security policies by filtering traffic and blocking or allowing packets based on rules. A switch forwards frames to the correct port based on MAC addresses and can optionally mirror traffic for monitoring, but its primary role isn’t to monitor all data traveling the network. A router directs traffic between networks, determining the best path and routing packets, not mainly inspecting the content of all transmissions.