What type of software is Wireshark?

• A. Wireshark is a firewall.
• B. Wireshark is a proprietary intrusion tool.
• C. Wireshark is a commercial network simulator.
• D. Wireshark is a free and open-source packet analyzer used for network troubleshooting, analysis, software and communications protocol development, and education.

Answer: (D)

Wireshark is a free and open‑source packet analyzer that captures live traffic or reads saved captures and shows detailed information about each network packet. This visibility lets you see headers, payloads, and the flow of conversations, which is essential for troubleshooting connectivity, analyzing performance, and understanding how protocols operate. It’s also valuable for developing or debugging network software and for education, since you can study exactly how data travels across a network. It’s not a firewall, which enforces access rules at a boundary; it’s not a proprietary intrusion tool aimed at breaking into systems; and it’s not a commercial network simulator, which models network behavior without necessarily inspecting real traffic. By providing deep packet insight, Wireshark supports the kind of traffic analysis and protocol understanding that CEH practice emphasizes.