Network Analysis

A critical skillset for any cybersecurity interested individual, network analysis involves monitoring and analyzing various components of network traffic, usage, and performance to develop insights. Additionally, network analysis can help identify security threats such as unauthorized access, malware, and data breaches, by monitoring network traffic patterns. By analyzing network data, bottlenecks and inefficiencies can be identified and improved upon to increase network performance.

What Tools Can I Use For Network Analysis?

Network Analysis can be performed with a variety of third party tools as well built in system tools (provided you are using a Unix-based system). Here are three common tools with ideal use cases.

1. Wireshark:

   • One of the most popular tools, Wireshark is an open-source packet analyzer that allows you to capture, analyze, and inspect network traffic in real-time. It supports a wide range of protocols, making it a valuable tool for both troubleshooting and security analysis.

   • Use Cases: Wireshark is ideal for network troubleshooting, protocol analysis, identifying security vulnerabilities, and understanding application behavior.

2. tcpdump:

   • tcpdump is a command-line packet capture tool available on most Unix-based systems. It captures network packets and can save them to a file for later analysis. It provides a lightweight and efficient way to inspect network traffic.

   • Use Cases: tcpdump is commonly used for network traffic monitoring, analysis of specific network issues, and as a quick tool for capturing and saving packets for later examination.

3. nmap (Network Mapper):

   • nmap is a powerful open-source network scanning and host discovery tool. It can detect open ports, services, and operating systems on remote hosts. nmap is invaluable for network reconnaissance and security assessment.

   • Use Cases: nmap is widely used for network mapping, vulnerability assessment, and penetration testing. It helps security professionals identify weaknesses in their network infrastructure.

Resources for Practicing Network Analysis

If you'd like to get your feet wet with some network analysis, especially with Wireshark, tcpdump, and nmap, I highly recommend TryHackMe's learning platform. TryHackMe provides a massive amount of resources at no cost for you to learn and practice a multitude of skills, including network analysis. I am not sponsored, I just love their platform! Once you become familiar with these tools, you can even use them to monitor traffic on your own network at home, or to enhance the security level of your organization (be sure you have explicit permission to do so first, as analyzing network traffic without permission can get you into trouble!)