Chapter 3: Installing Wireshark

To start capturing and analyzing packets, you'll first have to download and install Wireshark on your computer or laptop. The good news is that Wireshark can be installed on a variety of different platforms. In this chapter, we'll start by learning how Wireshark provides support for different Operating Systems (OSes). We'll also review the importance of a capture engine, and how it is a critical component when gathering network traffic.

When installing Wireshark on a PC, you'll be presented with a variety of choices. So that you can confidently navigate the installation and make the correct selections, we'll review the different options. Once installed, you can then begin capturing and analyzing traffic. Wireshark is open source with constant enhancements and improvements. You'll discover many online resources where you can see the latest news and updates that can help improve your workflow, along with several download...