Wireshark Network Traffic Analysis

Wireshark Network Traffic Analysis

Purpose

Execute comprehensive network traffic analysis using Wireshark to capture, filter, and examine network packets for security investigations, performance optimization, and troubleshooting. This skill enables systematic analysis of network protocols, detection of anomalies, and reconstruction of network conversations from PCAP files.

Inputs / Prerequisites

Required Tools

• Wireshark installed (Windows, macOS, or Linux)
• Network interface with capture permissions
• PCAP/​PCAPNG files for offline analysis
• Administrator/​root privileges for live capture

Technical Requirements

• Understanding of network protocols (TCP, UDP, HTTP, DNS)
• Familiarity with IP addressing and ports
• Knowledge of OSI model layers
• Understanding of common attack patterns

Use Cases

• Network troubleshooting and connectivity issues
• Security incident investigation
• Malware traffic analysis
• Performance monitoring and optimization
• Protocol learning and education

Outputs / Deliverables

Primary Outputs

• Filtered packet captures for specific traffic
• Reconstructed communication streams
• Traffic statistics and visualizations
• Evidence documentation for incidents

Core Workflow

Phase 1: Capturing Network Traffic

Start Live Capture

Begin capturing packets on network interface:

1. Launch Wireshark
2. Select network interface from main screen
3. Click shark fin icon or double-click interface
4. Capture begins immediately

Capture Controls

Capture Filters

Apply filters before capture to limit data collection:

# Capture only specific host
host 192.168.1.100

# Capture specific port
port 80

# Capture specific network
net 192.168.1.0/​24

# Exclude specific traffic
not arp

# Combine filters
host 192.168.1.100 and port 443

Phase 2: Display Filters

Basic Filter Syntax

Filter captured packets for analysis:

# IP address filters
ip.addr == 192.168.1.1              # All traffic to/​from IP
ip.src == 192.168.1.1               # Source IP only
ip.dst == 192.168.1.1               # Destination IP only

# Port filters
tcp.port == 80                       # TCP port 80
udp.port == 53                       # UDP port 53
tcp.dstport == 443                   # Destination port 443
tcp.srcport == 22                    # Source port 22

Protocol Filters

Filter by specific protocols:

# Common protocols
http                                  # HTTP traffic
https or ssl or tls                   # Encrypted web traffic
dns                                   # DNS queries and responses
ftp                                   # FTP traffic
ssh                                   # SSH traffic
icmp                                  # Ping/​ICMP traffic
arp                                   # ARP requests/​responses
dhcp                                  # DHCP traffic
smb or smb2                          # SMB file sharing

TCP Flag Filters

Identify specific connection states:

tcp.flags.syn == 1                   # SYN packets (connection attempts)
tcp.flags.ack == 1                   # ACK packets
tcp.flags.fin == 1                   # FIN packets (connection close)
tcp.flags.reset == 1                 # RST packets (connection reset)
tcp.flags.syn == 1 && tcp.flags.ack == 0  # SYN-only (initial connection)

Content Filters

Search for specific content:

frame contains "password"            # Packets containing string
http.request.uri contains "login"    # HTTP URIs with string
tcp contains "GET"                   # TCP packets with string

Analysis Filters

Identify potential issues:

tcp.analysis.retransmission          # TCP retransmissions
tcp.analysis.duplicate_ack           # Duplicate ACKs
tcp.analysis.zero_window             # Zero window (flow control)
tcp.analysis.flags                   # Packets with issues
dns.flags.rcode != 0                 # DNS errors

Combining Filters

Use logical operators for complex queries:

# AND operator
ip.addr == 192.168.1.1 && tcp.port == 80

# OR operator
dns || http

# NOT operator
!(arp || icmp)

# Complex combinations
(ip.src == 192.168.1.1 || ip.src == 192.168.1.2) && tcp.port == 443

Phase 3: Following Streams

TCP Stream Reconstruction

View complete TCP conversation:

1. Right-click on any TCP packet
2. Select Follow > TCP Stream
3. View reconstructed conversation
4. Toggle between ASCII, Hex, Raw views
5. Filter to show only this stream

Stream Types