Tcpdump

Tcpdump is a super handy tool for anyone who needs to check out network traffic by capturing packets from a specific adapter. This version of the program is a faithful copy of the original tcpdump, and it brings all those great features right to Windows.

What Does Tcpdump Do?

As a network sniffer tool, Tcpdump captures all the data packets that are sent or received through a network adapter. You can use it in command line mode, which lets you perform various actions using different arguments.

Viewing Captured Packets

You can see the captured packet info in real-time right in the Command Prompt window or save it to a log file for later analysis. The standard format shown in the command line can be tweaked to fit your needs. For example, you can turn off time stamps or change all IP addresses into names just by using some command line parameters.

Narrowing Down Data

If you’re monitoring network traffic and want to focus on specific trends, this tool helps you narrow down what information you get. You can set it up to only record packets coming from certain ports or only capture traffic aimed at particular destination addresses.

Customizing Your Analysis

The cool thing about Tcpdump being a command line app is that you can mix and match command parameters to grab just the data you need for your analysis. It’s also capable of generating important network stats by letting you know how many packets were captured through specific ports.

Easy to Use Anywhere

This tool has two major perks: its small size and that it runs easily from removable devices since it doesn’t need any extra drivers. Just plug in your device and run Tcpdump with your chosen command line parameters.

A Familiar Interface

Tcpdump features an easy-to-navigate interface along with plenty of options for customizing how the output info looks. It's truly a valuable asset for anyone needing to analyze network traffic.

If you're ready to give Tcpdump a try, you can download it here!