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Help me detect packet sniffing on my DSL line

I downloaded Promiscan to detect this activity. Do you know any other packet sniffing detector? Shall I shut down windows and ZoneAlarm firewalls for it to work? Shall I be ethernet connected to the DSL/Cable router or wireless is fine?

Thanks for your help.

Farhan Kazi

Use Wireshark (formerly known as Ethereal) is a free software protocol analyzer, or "packet sniffer" application, used for network troubleshooting, analysis, software and protocol development, and education. It has all of the standard features of a protocol analyzer.

Download it from:
http://www.wireshark.org/download.html

oscardelahoya

ASKER

Looks good. From the data gathered by Wireshark, how do I know if I'm being sniffed? I'm not very good at networking.

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Tolomir

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justchat_1

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oscardelahoya

ASKER

justchat_1,
If they know my IP address ( a static one) isn't it fairly easy for them to use tcpdump or other sniffer to get my emails, passwords and other email activity?

justchat_1

not at all...think of it like phones, its only possible to listen in if your plugged into another phone jack in the same house or if your listening from the phone company-you cant just listen in if you know a phone number

Tolomir

@justchat_1: good point!

oscardelahoya

ASKER

So packet sniffing is only possible on a local network (unless you place sniffing software on a target computer)?

Tolomir

yes

or on the way between your computer and the internet service provider.

E.g. someone is tapping your physical phoneline.

Tolomir

oscardelahoya

ASKER

A neighbor on my building that connects his cable modem to the same cable box as mine could sniff my connection with the standard setup?

justchat_1

No because they are isolated connections....each cable modem receives a unique internet connection stream that could not be tapped (at the cable line) without some pretty sophisticated equipment.