Case Project 1-4: Wireless Sniffing

In my opinion, Packet Sniffer programs are great if used for the right reason. I don’t agree with the way hackers use the tool; however, I do agree with the way it can be used to intercept data as it is transmitted over a network and decode the data into a format that is readable. I believe people or companies that utilize Packet Sniffers programs should be closely monitored by a regulatory committee. Packet Sniffer programs are being used by the public and private companies to view the contents of packets of information being sent over the Internet within that network. Despite the way the program is being used now by hackers, it was originally intended as a means of managing the network to safeguard Internet users from malicious programs being sent over the Internet, by intercepting them before they reached the end-users. While this remains to be one of the main functions of Packet Sniffer programs, the technology has also been utilized as a network management tool, as well as, by the government for surveillance, targeting advertising, and dealing with copyright infringements. As mentioned above, Packet Sniffer programs were originally developed to secure local area networks, which are used to cover small geographical areas, such as a company or university in order to ensure there is no unwanted traffic coming in from outside the network. In the past, this task used to be accomplished by firewalls, but due to developments in web applications, the boundaries between the internal LAN and the external Internet is not so well-defined. Network administrators must now fully inspect the data coming in and out of the LAN to ensure that their network traffic is safe for malicious acts. The best way to accomplish this task is by using a Packet Sniffer