According to Peter Giannoulis of www.theacademypro.com, one particular open source tool hasn't received the attention that it deserves. Network Miner, a free, Windows-based passive network sniffer, allows users to gather network information that is host-centric rather than packet-centric.
In this short demo, Peter Giannoulis explains how Network Miner can be used to gather information from hosts on your network, including identification of ports, protocols, operating systems and other services.
For more information about the tool you've seen here:
Want another way to sniff packets? Learn how Wireshark can be used to examine network traffic.
A reader recently asked our network expert Mike Chapple, "What is the best method to determine whether email messages are transmitted as clear text?" See why Mike recommends a packet sniffer.
Want more screencasts? Make sure to check out our other demonstrations of today's security tools.
About the author: Peter Giannoulis, GSEC, GCIH, GCIA, GCFA, GCFW, GREM, CISSP, is an information security consultant in Toronto, Ontario. He currently maintains www.theacademypro.com, which provides organizations streaming video on how to configure and troubleshoot many of today's top security products. He also serves as a technical director for GIAC.
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