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Monitoring Network Activity

  • We usually detect network activity by being connected to the network of interest
  • Sometimes, such as with wireless, you can monitor without being connected. (Wired networks, even fiber optic, can be monitored surreptiously with sensitive equipment and patience, but physical proximity to the network is still necessary.)
  • What simple approaches can limit network monitoring or interception's danger?

Tools

  • ifconfig (try ifconfig -a) to get basic information about a Unix system's Ethernet interface. ipconfig /all is similar for DOS/Windows.
  • netstat lists open ports and packet statistics.
  • tcpdump (freeware, often default with Linux) decodes the payload and lists data from a network interface, protocol, host, etc.
  • To re-assemble sessions from packets, or search for strings (such as passwords, use a tool such as tcpdstat (Dave Dittrich's version, the original is in Japan). (Neither is quite complete for a Linux system...)

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UNC SILS
Prof. Greg Newby