Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users
Venkat Lkmula - PeerSpot reviewer
Tech spesialist at INT tech services
Real User
Easy to use, reliable, fast learning environment
Pros and Cons
  • "I have found the most valuable feature you can design your sniffer the way you want to."
  • "In the future, it would be nice to see color coding. It is just black and white."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case of this solution is for wired or wireless sniffing.

What is most valuable?

I have found the most valuable feature you can design your sniffer the way you want to. As I said, by default it will have all the legacy features or legacy or advanced features. So apart from that in your device, if you have a particular feature that is enabled, then you can modify it by changing the source code. It provides you with the source code. It is an open source so you can get a source code, you just need to create a plugin or API and point it to that source and you compile it.

What needs improvement?

In the future, it would be nice to see color coding. It is just black and white. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Wireshark for the past fifteen years.

Buyer's Guide
Wireshark
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Wireshark. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is excellent and reflected in the automation integration.

How are customer service and support?

If you are a good programmer everything is available online. There is a community-based option to ask questions and you will get answers.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. You type in Google or Bing Wireshark download. Then you will be taken to the Wireshark webpage and there is a tab called download. Download the latest stable version that is available. It is an EXE file or an MSF file.

What other advice do I have?

For the initial stages, I prefer Wireshark but after six months to a year, I like to use OmniPeek. Wireshark is very easy to use and I would rate it an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Lead Engineer at NXP Semiconductors
Real User
Scalable, stable, doesn't require installation, and allows you to capture packets at any time
Pros and Cons
  • "What's best about Wireshark is that it doesn't require installation. It supports cards and monitoring permissions and is sufficient for appending and capturing activities. You won't need to install other tools to use Wireshark, so this saves you time. You can capture packets at any time from your laptop through Wireshark."
  • "Wireshark is similar to an OS defense tool, meaning that it runs on an OS such as Ubuntu and Fedora, but I'm unsure if it's compatible with Windows or if it's a straightforward process to run it on Windows. Right now, my team needs to run Wireshark from a dongle to use it, so it's an OS-dependable tool, and that's an area for improvement. I was unable to use Wireshark on Windows, and I couldn't capture it, as I'm unsure how to configure the wireless card into monitoring mode on Windows. The process was straightforward on Linux, but it wasn't the case on Windows OS. It seems Wireshark isn't compatible with all OS. For example, you can analyze the log, and you can analyze it on the Windows server, but you can't do a capture in Windows. Configuring Wireshark for Windows isn't as easy as configuring it for Linux."

What is our primary use case?

We're using an internal Wi-Fi card in the laptop, so we configure that particular wireless interface into monitoring mode, configure the channel, and use Wireshark for that specific interface. We can capture the packets and activities on that channel, analyze the packets for poor connections, etc.

What is most valuable?

What's best about Wireshark is that it doesn't require installation. It supports cards and monitoring permissions and is sufficient for appending and capturing activities. You won't need to install other tools to use Wireshark, so this saves you time. You can capture packets at any time from your laptop through Wireshark.

What needs improvement?

Wireshark is similar to an OS defense tool, meaning that it runs on an OS such as Ubuntu and Fedora, but I'm unsure if it's compatible with Windows or if it's a straightforward process to run it on Windows. Right now, my team needs to run Wireshark from a dongle to use it, so it's an OS-dependable tool, and that's an area for improvement.

I was unable to use Wireshark on Windows, and I couldn't capture it, as I'm unsure how to configure the wireless card into monitoring mode on Windows. The process was straightforward on Linux, but it wasn't the case on Windows OS. It seems Wireshark isn't compatible with all OS. For example, you can analyze the log, and you can analyze it on the Windows server, but you can't do a capture in Windows. Configuring Wireshark for Windows isn't as easy as configuring it for Linux.

What I'd like to see in the next release of Wireshark is the capability to capture packets from the ethernet.

For how long have I used the solution?

I started using Wireshark six or seven years ago.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Wireshark is a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Wireshark is a scalable product.

How are customer service and support?

I never needed to contact technical support for Wireshark.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

My company uses Wireshark and has not tried a different solution. The biggest factor on why it decided to use Wireshark is because it's open-source software that doesn't require installation and a license, so anyone can use it.

How was the initial setup?

Wireshark is pretty easy to set up. Its deployment doesn't take much time. It only takes ten to twenty minutes max to complete Wireshark deployment.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Wireshark is an open-source product, so it's free to use.

What other advice do I have?

All people within my company use Wireshark, so that's two hundred users.

My advice to anyone looking into using Wireshark is that you should know how to configure the interface and the internal Wi-Fi card into monitoring mode, so you can capture via Wireshark. As Wireshark is a good tool, I'd recommend it to others, but you should have some knowledge of how to use it and how to configure it. Before implementing Wireshark, you need to know your objectives, working scenarios, what type of features you'd want to implement, and what changes you need to make.

I'd rate Wireshark eight out of ten because for you to configure and use it requires proper knowledge. It's straightforward to use if you have some knowledge of configuring it for monitoring.

I'm a customer of Wireshark.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Wireshark
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Wireshark. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Aqeel Junaid - PeerSpot reviewer
Junior Executive - Information Security at sunshine holdings
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Used to analyze patterns in the network and check for any malicious traffic generated from devices
Pros and Cons
  • "Wireshark is a good tool to start with network analyzing and packet capturing."
  • "The solution’s user interface could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

Wireshark is a network analyzer used to capture traffic. It's used to analyze patterns in the network to check for any malicious traffic generated from devices or endpoints.

What is most valuable?

Wireshark is a good tool to start with network analyzing and packet capturing. The solution provides good performance and stability.

What needs improvement?

The solution’s user interface could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Wireshark since 2019.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Wireshark is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Wireshark is not a scalable solution. The tool's purpose is not to scale, and there is no use case to scale it.

How was the initial setup?

The solution’s initial setup is straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

I have deployed Wireshark on my laptop. You need to download the software from the web and then run it. It's free of charge, and there's no license involved. We need to enable the solution and run it to capture the traffic.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Wireshark is free of charge, and there's no license involved.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend the solution to other users. Wireshark is a good tool to start with network analyzing and packet capturing. You can use Wireshark for packet capturing to find the root cause of any issues in the network.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2171574 - PeerSpot reviewer
Chief Technologist at a consumer goods company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
A tool that offers a free version along with high scalability
Pros and Cons
  • "The filter option provided by Wireshark is its most valuable feature...Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
  • "Wireshark could make the filtering rules easier to apply and offer a drag-and-drop option as opposed to type and text."

What is our primary use case?

I use Wireshark in my company for in-depth troubleshooting, especially when you need to look at individual packets.

What is most valuable?

The filter option provided by Wireshark is its most valuable feature. In Wireshark, you view packets based upon a set of rules that helps narrow down to find the packets you want to look at, making it probably the main feature of the product. Wireshark provides you with the ability to use an option called recompile.

Wireshark provides you with the ability to use an option called recompile. The tool also provides an RTP stream to its users. With Wireshark, the ability to play audio through the application is useful.

What needs improvement?

Wireshark could make the filtering rules easier to apply and offer a drag-and-drop option as opposed to type and text. The tool should also provide data prompts for some of the filters.

In the future, I want Wireshark to provide some visual representation of packet sizes, along with some graphical analysis tools.

I think you may have to download a separate interface driver when working with Wireshark, so I believe that the setup phase could be made simpler.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Wireshark for ten years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

Around five people in my company use Wireshark.

How was the initial setup?

Wireshark's initial setup phase is not bad.

The solution is deployed on a virtual machine.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I use Wireshark's free version.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the overall tool an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
SanjeevKumar19 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Support Engineer at AlgoSec
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Offers both GUI and command-line interfaces, and good for troubleshooting network issues
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a stable product. I would rate the stability a ten out of ten."
  • "The initial setup depends upon the basics. You need to have a clear understanding of the basics."

What is our primary use case?

When we can see in the customer environment that traffic is getting blocked; suppose we have a VPN channel, and when the VPN channel is up but the traffic is not running through it, we use Wireshark to recapture the channel. We check whether the PPP handshake is ongoing or not. The acknowledgment team posts this packet, and after that, the PPP handshake is ongoing or not. 

So these are the things that we check by filtering out the things and based upon that, we get support. Because in five to six seconds, there are more than a thousand packets. So we have to filter out and check on which speed it is getting dropped. For that reason, we are using Wireshark. I am using it just for troubleshooting purposes.

What is most valuable?

Wireshark is pretty handy. It's especially useful for troubleshooting issues. However, the GUI interface is not that accurate. It can only show a limited amount of information, such as the source code, destination code, and services that are being blocked. If we want to know why a packet is being blocked by a particular policy, we need to check the packet capture.

We also use Wireshark to troubleshoot packet-level inspection issues, such as whether the payload is present, whether the packet size is too large for the receiver, and whether the DMTU (Dynamic Maximum Transmission Unit) is correct. We also use it to troubleshoot issues with fragmented packets.

In addition to the GUI, we also use the developer's tool and the command line to troubleshoot issues with Wireshark. For example, we use the cat and grep commands to filter out the information we need and to turn on debug mode. We also use the tail command to view the current history of logs.

I am currently working in a Linux environment, so I use the SysLog for configuration purposes on the Algo server. I use the TCP system command because Cisco uses port 514. So, I have to use the TCP system command to check whether we are receiving logs from the particular firewall or not.

Customers often tell us that they have open WDP 5144 traffic. They usually show us this in Splunk. For example, they might say, "We are forwarding the packet to the system, but we are not receiving the packet." This is usually because they need to test their end because they require some identity virus for the traffic to flow through our application.

Sometimes, the Algo server goes down, and we have to build it from scratch. Other times, the load distribution unit does not get synced with the primary. These are just some of the things we do on a daily basis with Wireshark.

What needs improvement?

While Wireshark is useful, the GUI interface is less accurate, showing only limited information.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Wireshark for three years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable product. I would rate the stability a ten out of ten. Every engineer in our organization uses this solution in our company. So, more than 22 users are using this solution. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten. There is always room for improvement. 

It is easy to scale Wireshark. The GUI is very user-friendly. They have multiple videos online and on YouTube. Going through these resources provides a better understanding of Wireshark, its functionality, and how things operate within it. Essentially, it aligns with what we can learn from fundamental books or authoritative works.  

What we have analyzed on a theoretical basis, like the TCP handshake, SSL handshake, wireless controller handshake, SMTP handshake, and whatever we read in the books, we can technically see it in Wireshark each and every packet. For SSL, we can see multiple streams getting transmitted: server, client hello, client-server hello, then the client where Client Pre-shared. The client ciphers also send the TLS, TLS certificate SSL certificate. Then in the server, we can see the SSL certificate and the Cypress suite, which they want to negotiate on, and then their pre-master secret key, which is generated, and then the session keys are getting generated. So these are all the things that we read in our books; we can see it packet-wise, each and everything. The acknowledgment comes from their end, from the client or the server side. So we can see it is very much easy to use in Wireshark.

Gain practical knowledge of what we comprehend. Analogous to the basic mathematical concept of two plus two, this is a protocol-oriented understanding, similar to the alphabet in language. However, in the realm of networking, Wireshark proves highly beneficial. You can put into practice what you read in books by actively examining and validating it yourself.

How are customer service and support?

Every engineer will always try to make things easy for the customer. S 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup depends upon the basics. You need to have a clear understanding of the basics. When you have a clear understanding, there's nothing more difficult for us.

We have deployed it both on the cloud and on-premises. We usually install agents from Google. Everyone cannot use it. At least we need to have a basic understanding of theoretical concepts. Once the theoretical concept is clear, then you can use the packet capture. So it is easy to do packet captures. You need to just check videos on YouTube.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. Just focus on the basics. Once they are clear, you can handle and master any of the products in the secure network market, whether it's switches, routers, firewalls, VPNs, load balancers, or whatever it is. Just focus on the basics of what you want to pursue in your career.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Sagar More - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Security Engineer at Ares Management Corporation
Real User
Free with excellent community support, enables deep packet inspection and is continually being improved
Pros and Cons
  • "The ability to decrypt traffic and the abundance of filters available are both valuable features."
  • "The solution has a steep learning curve. There are so many filters and features that are frequently being updated, it takes research, experience and familiarity to be able to use them. It could be a lot more user-friendly."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use Wireshark for troubleshooting critical issues in our network, retrieving packet headers using packet capture, and for creating custom apps. There are six people on our team and we all use Wireshark on our devices. 

How has it helped my organization?

When we are stuck with an issue that requires deep packet inspection, we capture the traffic with Wireshark, which allows us to resolve it.  

What is most valuable?

The ability to decrypt traffic and the abundance of filters available are both valuable features.

What needs improvement?

The solution has a steep learning curve. There are so many filters and features that are frequently being updated, it takes research, experience and familiarity to be able to use them. It could be a lot more user-friendly. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I think Wireshark is the most stable product of its kind.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is very scalable, you can capture traffic on any device regardless of your vendor. 

How are customer service and support?

We have never needed to use customer service or technical support. Whenever we have an issue, a Google search provides us everything we need through community support including Wireshark tutorials.  

How was the initial setup?

The setup of the product is very simple. It's freeware, just download the .exe, go through the installation and select the desired interface you want to capture traffic on. It's a simple and very straightforward process. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Wireshark is free software, so you can download it and use it for free with no licensing fees.  

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten. Wireshark has been getting better and better in the time I've been using it and it is a very helpful tool. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Henry-Steinhauer - PeerSpot reviewer
Systems Engineer at LifePoint Health
Real User
Best general purpose tool for trouble shooting anything on the network.

Valuable Features:

-One of the best products that can provide the details of what is happening with an application and the full life cycle of the response time. - Using Multiple trace files can allow you to create really big trace samples. Thus not a problem to let it run for awhile to gather that hard to catch 'problem'

Room for Improvement:

Not always simple to setup and get the filtering right when capturing data. The TCPDUMP pre filter is a bit hard to get use to when you are used to using the post filter. It will help when they have the same filter for both. Of course I'm assuming that the Post filter will be the filter of choice and translate the Post Filter into what needs to be done for the Pre Filter. I use the export to CSV and also the Print Full trace to a file features to do post analysis that would otherwise be impossible to do any other way than using WireShark. An example is watching MQ Traffic through a MQ Broker. Using the MQ Token, I'm able to combine the send / receive responses together to see the final response time and also where the packets are sent/received. This has helped with the SOA analysis when you have traffic going to a MQ Broker to be sent to other servers for responses. 4 packet sets are involved when this is done. 1 Request in to the Broker, 1 Response out from the Broker to a Responder, then a response from the Responder to the Broker again, and the final response from the Broker back to the original Requestor. All of that chatter needs to be captured and seen for the full response time analysis. Using the Packet Print, I'm able to dig into the header of the MQ packet and find that information for post assembly of information into a CSV file. Using Perl, I'm able to read these files in automation and create CSV files for use in Excel to then provide the packet numbers to use again in the Post Filter process of WireShark to look at further details. This is complex, but so are the actual interactions that are taking place. This work would be impossible with out a tool like Wireshark that provides the insight and decoding of the MQ headers of the packets. This brings out the Tokens and response Tokens of the packets for analysis. The other SOA and complex Websphere interaction tools are getting better at presenting this information, but there are still times where the developors have created something that the other tools have not tackled yet. Then WireShark is the only way to really drill into those interactions.

Other Advice:

Wireshark continues to be updated and is still an alive application. Continue to explore this product.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user4401 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user4401Developer at a transportation company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Vendor

Wireshark excels in the number of protocols that it supports, over 850. Also, the Wireshark interface is one of the easiest to understand of any packet sniffing application. I would like to mention that it is free, so it's pricing can't be beat. Wireshark supports all major modern operating systems, including Windows, Mac OS and Linux-based platforms.

Joel Ogbechie - PeerSpot reviewer
Cybersecurity Operations Lead at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 10
Traffic analysis and threat hunting with very good essential features
Pros and Cons
  • "It helps in analyzing if something looks suspicious, such as a brute force attack or scanning from somewhere."
  • "I have not used Wireshark to an advanced point where I could provide a detailed opinion on improvements needed."

What is our primary use case?

My work includes a feature that allows me to download traffic between different points, whether internal, external, or general. I use Wireshark to analyze this traffic. I also use it mostly for threat hunting.

What is most valuable?

I look at aspects like who is downloading the most data and who are the most active. I also check which country is generating the most traffic. It helps in analyzing if something looks suspicious, such as a brute force attack or scanning from somewhere. It assists in identifying source and destination and possible data extraction, which is helpful for incident response.

What needs improvement?

I have not used Wireshark to an advanced point where I could provide a detailed opinion on improvements needed. I find it to be a very useful tool beyond other traffic analysis tools.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Wireshark for more than five years now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have not faced any issues with stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Wireshark does everything I need.

How are customer service and support?

I have never contacted their support team.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I was using Splunk about three months ago and tried to ingest some Wireshark captures.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend Wireshark to other people.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user