What term describes the process of monitoring and capturing all data packets passing through a network to observe sensitive information such as Telnet passwords, email traffic, and DNS traffic?

What term describes the process of monitoring and capturing all data packets passing through a network to observe sensitive information such as Telnet passwords, email traffic, and DNS traffic?

• A. Packet filtering
• B. Network tapping
• C. Packet sniffing
• D. Traffic analysis

Answer: (C)

Packet sniffing is the process of capturing and inspecting all data packets that pass through a network segment, allowing an observer to view unencrypted payloads such as Telnet passwords, email contents, and DNS queries. It works by putting a network interface into promiscuous mode or using a TAP to duplicate traffic so a sniffer can analyze the payloads. This is why it’s the right term for observing sensitive information in transit. Packet filtering blocks or allows traffic based on rules rather than capturing and reading packets. Traffic analysis focuses on patterns and metadata rather than the actual contents of the packets. Network tapping describes the physical act of listening to traffic, which is related but not the general process of capturing and examining all traffic.

Packet sniffing is the process of capturing and inspecting all data packets that pass through a network segment, allowing an observer to view unencrypted payloads such as Telnet passwords, email contents, and DNS queries. It works by putting a network interface into promiscuous mode or using a TAP to duplicate traffic so a sniffer can analyze the payloads. This is why it’s the right term for observing sensitive information in transit. Packet filtering blocks or allows traffic based on rules rather than capturing and reading packets. Traffic analysis focuses on patterns and metadata rather than the actual contents of the packets. Network tapping describes the physical act of listening to traffic, which is related but not the general process of capturing and examining all traffic.