VIII. Sniffing Password from Captured Packets using Sniff – O – Matic

Scenario

Attackers may install a sniffer in a trusted network to capture packets and will be able to view every single packet that is going across the network if the network uses a hub or a router for data transmission. With the captured packets, attackers can learn about vulnerabilities and sniff the username and password and log in to the network as an authenticated user. Once logged in successfully to a network, the hacker can easily install viruses and Trojans to steal data, sensitive information, and cause serious damage to that network.

As an expert ethical hacker and penetration tester, you should have sound knowledge of sniffing, network protocols, and authentication mechanisms and encryption techniques. You should also regularly check your network and close the unnecessary ports that are open. Always ensure that if any sensitive data is required to be sent over the network, you use an encrypted protocol to minimize the data leakage.

Lab Objectives

The objective of this lab to sniff passwords using the tool Sniff – O – Matic through captured packets.

Lab Analysis

In this lab you have learnt how to sniff passwords using the tool Sniff – O – Matic through captured packets. Analyze and document the results related to the lab exercise.