How to Use Wireshark | Wireshark Tutorial | Techofide

This article will begin with the basics, such as what Wireshark is and why we use it. I’ve also reviewed its basic applications and demonstrated an overview of the Wireshark interface. Finally, we’ll see how to utilise Wireshark with its basic filters, colour coding, and real-time network traffic capture.

What is Wireshark?

Wireshark is a network protocol analyzer that captures packets from the network and is commonly referred to as a packet sniffer. Your network could be your house, office, or agency, for example. Wireshark, like other packet sniffing programmes, can perform a variety of tasks. Wireshark’s most useful features are packet capture, filtering, analysing, and visualisation.

Why do we Use Wireshark?

Wireshark is an open-source, free, and secure network troubleshooting and traffic analysis programme used by networkers, cyber security researchers, government organisations, educational institutions, corporations, and novices.

Wireshark Download

You can use Wireshark on all platforms such as Windows, Linux and Mac. You can follow the below link for the complete download process of Wireshark on all platforms such as Windows, Linux and Mac. I have built a detailed step by step article with a tutorial on Techofide you can click on Full Wireshark Tutorial to know more.

Basic Features of Wireshark

Now that we’ve seen how to download and install Wireshark on both Linux and Windows, we can explore what else Wireshark can accomplish.

• It captures live packets from the network interface
• You can check packets data with very detailed information as well as protocol information.
• We can filter data packets using various available methods
• You can export all capture packets in a file and it offers multiple file-format
• It allows to search packets using various methods, you can search by protocol name also
• We can create a number of statistics
• We can import packets from text files
• You can also save data packets
• Troubleshoot network

Overview of Wireshark Interface

When you initially start Wireshark, it will open a window that lists all of the possible interfaces on your system, so you must first decide which one you wish to capture.

In the screenshot above, you can see that I’ve selected the WiFi interface.

After selecting the interface, you’ll be sent to Wireshark’s main window, where we can see a variety of options.

Option Bar

On the options bar there are 11 options such as a file, edit, view, go, capture, analyze, statistics, telephony, wireless, tools and help

Toolbar

You can notice a toolbar below the settings bar that contains many icons. So, basically, those icons are merely easy options for starting, stopping, and restarting packet capture as well as saving, reloading, opening, and viewing the recorded data.

Filter Toolbar

The filter search toolbar, commonly known as the filter toolbar, is located beneath the toolbar. This toolbar will allow you to filter and search capture packets based on protocols, names, IP addresses, and other criteria.

Packet List Pane

A packet list pane, commonly known as the packets window, is located beneath the filter toolbar and displays all of the live collected packets.

Packet Details Pane

Following that, you’ll notice a white box with multiple dropdowns containing header information for chosen packets.

Status Bar

A window at the bottom displays the network interface name you’re currently using as well as the number of packets you’ve collected.

Understanding Color Coding

Another excellent and useful feature of Wireshark is colour coding. Understanding colour coding is essential for completing tasks quickly and efficiently. You might colourize your packets anyhow you want so that you can concentrate solely on them.

I’ve presented a variety of choices, features, expressions, and filters in this blog, but it’s impossible to cover everything in one blog, so I’ve included a fast Wireshark cheat sheet that will show you a variety of other things you can study and try on your own.

Conclusion

This blog covers practically all of the essential fundamentals needed to use Wireshark. I hope you have comprehended everything I have stated. Wireshark is a tool with a variety of functions that vary depending on how it is used.