WIRESHARK ANDROID

What is Wireshark?

WIRESHARK ANDROID: In plain, Wireshark is a traffic analyzer used by security professionals or system administrators to analyze real-time network traffic. It helps troubleshoot various network issues on your respective networks. Wireshark is able to detect malicious activity within a network.

This also helps to address problems in a working network, multiple packets, and latency issues. Protecting the network from hacking attempts is really beneficial. This function acts like a telescope as it collects all data on the network and identifies the root cause of the problems. Wireshark must be used by one who has basic networking experience otherwise access to this wonderful app will be a bit tough for a beginner. By basic knowledge here, I mean reading, interpreting and routing packets in a systematic manner.

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What does it do?

It transforms binary data into the legible format by intercepting network traffic. It makes it easy for the user to define their network as to how much and how much traffic passes through it at a given time or it helps to measure the delay between such periods of time.

The most important thing to remember is that the packets on the network of a user are most likely to be TCP, UDP, and ICMP so that they can function accordingly. It will collect various types of traffic and will show the filters based on your interest. With the aid of packets, users can easily inspect their network. The user is provided with various search tools that help them improve their respective inspections.

Wireshark can be used as an interactive resource easily. One can easily download a network analyzer and can go through their local wifi access points and start traffic inspection. It’s much easier than it seems. But only once again if the user has basic networking knowledge and its components.

WIRESHARK ANDROID

Android?

The big question here is “can we use Wireshark for android?” and the answer is no unless one’s android device is rooted. Rooting means that a computer needs to have root access, sudo command can run through it, enhancing the privileges that allow the user to run applications such as Wireless Tether. 

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Wireshark uses the network interface in “promiscuous” mode, meaning it allows frames that are forwarded to all destinations, not just those that are connected to the local computer. Android does not offer this kind of access to any program unless it is rooted.

Alternate Method

It should also be noted that Wireshark’s downloadable build is not intended for Android, so a user will need to build it from source code, and libpcap. It would be preferable to run tcpdump or tshark on a rooted computer, catch packets into a.pcap file and save them to a Windows or Linux PC. Then, Wireshark will inspect them. The Wireshark UI does not allow a touch-screen interface.

Putting it in simple words Wireshark android can only be used if the user’s android device is rooted and we can hope that sooner or later there will be a technology that will help Wireshark to work on unrooted/normal android devices.

History

Wireshark was invented in 1988 by Gerarld Combs and was initially called Ethereal. It wasn’t that popular at that time but over the years when people got to know about network and started having actual access to the network, it became popular.

Over time internet usage has been massive and it has caused a boost in many IT industries. Many IT companies and individuals have adopted Wireshark compared to when it was invented.

Features

  • Thorough review of hundreds of protocols, with ever more added.
  • Live recording, and review offline.
  • Regular browser with three-pane packets.
  • Multi-platform: runs on Windows, Linux, OS X, NetBSD, FreeBSD and many more.
  • Network data collected can be browsed through a GUI or the TTY-mode TShark utility.

Some of the reasons people use Wireshark

  • Network managers use it to troubleshoot network problems
  • Network protection engineers use it to investigate security concerns
  • QA engineers use it to validate network applications
  • Developers use it to debug system implementations
  • External network software learners use it

System Requirements

Microsoft windows

Wireshark will support any Windows edition that remains in its extended lifetime of support. Windows 10, 8.1, Server 2019, Server 2016, Server 2012 R2, and Server 2012 are included at the time of publishing.

MacOS

Wireshark and later supports macOS 10.12. MacOS versions that are supported here depend on third-party libraries and Apple’s requirements and same is the case with windows

LINUX

Wireshark runs on most platforms close to UNIX and UNIX like Linux and most versions of BSDs. The device specifications for Windows should be comparable to those mentioned above.

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More about Wireshark

Most users misinterpret Wireshark as an intruder detection system but it does not tell the user that someone is breaching his/her system network, it just helps the user by giving a basic idea of what is going on in the system network by monitoring the traffic. In other words, it measures data rather than manipulating it.

This is configured to receive network traffic from various media types such as Wifi, wireless Lan, ethernet, USB and more. Access from certain media types can be reduced due to certain considerations like the equipment and operating system of the device.

Wireshark is an open-source software which means it is available online for free and the user can download and use it with all of its source code in hand

Maintenance

Wireshark is maintained by a group of individuals who constantly work for the improvement of it by fixing bugs and providing new functionality. If users find any difficulty or problem countering Wireshark he or she can reach these groups of people or the admins via email.

This is a collaboration of free source applications, released under the GNU General Public License(GPL). If the user feels that any changes or improvements are to be made to the software,  he or she can contribute to the team.

Some of the benefits the user will get if he or she contributes to the software are

  1. This will be respected by other users who find their efforts useful and the user will know that he or she has helped others in the same way as Wireshark developers have helped them.
  2. Wireshark developers may further refine their improvements or introduce new functionality alongside their code, which can also support them.
  3. Wireshark’s maintainers and developers must maintain their code, patch it when changes are made to the APIs or other improvements, and generally keep it in line with what happens to Wireshark.
Wikipedia page

The Wikipedia page of Wireshark contains a huge amount of information related to packet capture. It is available in the user guide. If the user is confident enough about the information is wrong or incorrect he or she can edit the Wikipedia page through his or her web browser.

The Q&A website of Wireshark offers a wide variety of questions with answers that either the website developer has uploaded himself or some old users have already asked questions when they were stuck with their work. It is advisable for a user to go through this page first before he or she email their queries to the developer as it may resolve his or her queries and save the time of both user and developer.  

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While reporting the information user has to keep a few points in mind

  1. Wireshark’s version number and its related based libraries, such as Qt or GLib. User can get this from Wireshark’s box, or Wireshark -v button.
  2. User device details running Wireshark on (Windows, Linux, etc., and 32-bit, 64-bit, and so on).

3.  A detailed description of the problem one is having. If a user is notified via error or warning message, he or she can copy the text of the message and the developer will identify the problem and try to resolve it.

Conclusion

To sum up, in short Wireshark is a great tool in capturing packets and analyzing traffic on one’s network. It transforms binary data into the legible format by intercepting network traffic. It is much easier to use if the user has prior knowledge of networking and its components.

Wireshark Android is open-source software that means it is available online for free. It is easily accessible with all its components and source code available too. Users can report their problems if they counter while practicing Wireshark with much ease.

Only rooted android devices can have access to Wireshark otherwise it won’t work. We can only expect that new technology will soon be released so that the interested users can practice Wireshark on his or her android device. Traffic cannot be unseen by the users.

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