

Wireshark can capture live information from your current network. Finally, the status bar on the bottom gives you general information on the program’s current status and captured data.The packet bytes pane will list data on a byte-by-byte basis, highlighting the packet you selected for further observation.The packet details pane will provide more information on the selected packet.Selecting an item from this list will change what you can see in the following sections. It contains a list of all packets going through your network. The packet list pane is the primary data source.Filters will make it easier to find the correct packets to trace. The filter toolbar allows you to display filters to choose from.It contains frequently used actions so you have easy access to them without having to navigate multiple menus to find them. The menu is used to start all actions on Wireshark. To check if promiscuous mode is enabled, click Capture > Options and verify the “Enable promiscuous mode on all interfaces” checkbox is activated at the bottom of this window. If you have promiscuous mode enabled-it’s enabled by default-you’ll also see all the other packets on the network instead of only packets addressed to your network adapter. Wireshark captures each packet sent to or from your system. You can configure advanced features by clicking Capture > Options, but this isn’t necessary for now.Īs soon as you click the interface’s name, you’ll see the packets start to appear in real time. For example, if you want to capture traffic on your wireless network, click your wireless interface. Capturing PacketsĪfter downloading and installing Wireshark, you can launch it and double-click the name of a network interface under Capture to start capturing packets on that interface. Don’t use this tool at work unless you have permission.

Just a quick warning: Many organizations don’t allow Wireshark and similar tools on their networks.
