Welcome to the Wireshark Tips and Tricks table! In this comprehensive reference, we present the 20 most common filters used in Wireshark, arranged in ascending order of popularity. These filters serve as invaluable tools for efficient network traffic analysis, allowing you to gain insights into various protocols and security threats. Each filter comes with essential information, including its common usage, practical applications, potential pitfalls, security implications, and additional tips to enhance your Wireshark proficiency. Whether you are a seasoned network analyst or just getting started with packet analysis, this table will be your go-to resource for mastering Wireshark filtering techniques. Let’s dive in and uncover the secrets of effective network analysis!
Wireshark’s Most Popular Filters
No. | Filter | Common Usage | Use Cases | Pitfalls | Security Threats / Investigations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ip.addr == x.x.x.x | High | Filter traffic by IP address | Make sure to use correct IP address | IP address filtering | Useful for isolating specific hosts |
2 | tcp.port == 80 | High | Filter traffic by TCP port (e.g., HTTP) | Won’t capture HTTPS traffic | Web application security | Useful for analyzing web traffic |
3 | udp.port == 53 | High | Filter DNS traffic | May miss DNS-over-TLS or DNS-over-HTTPS | DNS security | Useful for DNS troubleshooting |
4 | ip.src == x.x.x.x | High | Filter traffic by source IP address | May miss return traffic | Anomaly detection | Useful for identifying suspicious sources |
5 | ip.dst == x.x.x.x | High | Filter traffic by destination IP address | May miss outbound traffic | Network scanning detection | Useful for analyzing traffic to a specific IP |
6 | tcp.flags == 0x02 | High | Filter SYN packets (TCP handshakes) | May miss half-open connections | Network scanning detection | Useful for analyzing port scans |
7 | http | High | Filter HTTP traffic | May miss HTTPS traffic | Web application security | Useful for web traffic analysis |
8 | tcp.analysis.retransmission | High | Filter TCP retransmissions | May miss out-of-order packets | Network troubleshooting | Useful for identifying network issues |
9 | dns.flags.response == 0 | High | Filter DNS queries | Won’t capture DNS responses | DNS security | Useful for DNS query analysis |
10 | http.host == "example.com" | High | Filter HTTP traffic for a specific hostname | Must use quotes for hostname | Web application security | Useful for analyzing specific web hosts |
11 | ip.proto == 17 | Medium | Filter UDP traffic | Won’t capture TCP or ICMP traffic | VoIP security | Useful for analyzing VoIP traffic |
12 | tcp.port == 443 | Medium | Filter HTTPS traffic | Won’t capture HTTP traffic | Web application security | Useful for analyzing secure web traffic |
13 | tcp.analysis.duplicate_ack | Medium | Filter TCP duplicate ACKs | May miss other TCP issues | Network troubleshooting | Useful for identifying TCP retransmissions |
14 | tcp.analysis.flags | Medium | Filter TCP flags (e.g., FIN, RST) | May miss specific flag combinations | Network troubleshooting | Useful for analyzing TCP control flags |
15 | icmp | Medium | Filter ICMP traffic | Won’t capture other protocols | Network troubleshooting | Useful for ICMP analysis |
16 | tcp.analysis.window_update | Medium | Filter TCP window updates | May miss other TCP issues | Network troubleshooting | Useful for analyzing TCP window size changes |
17 | udp.port == 161 | Medium | Filter SNMP traffic | Won’t capture SNMPv3 traffic | Network monitoring | Useful for SNMP analysis |
18 | tcp.flags.reset == 1 | Medium | Filter TCP RST packets | May miss other TCP issues | Network troubleshooting | Useful for detecting connection resets |
19 | ip.addr == x.x.x.x && http | Medium | Filter HTTP traffic for a specific IP address | Combining filters with ‘&&’ | Network forensics | Useful for analyzing specific hosts’ web traffic |
20 | tcp.analysis.lost_segment | Medium | Filter TCP lost segments | May miss other TCP issues | Network troubleshooting | Useful for identifying packet loss issues |
Note: The common usage, use cases, pitfalls, security threats, and other notes provided in the table are general guidelines. The actual usage and context may vary depending on specific network environments and security requirements. Always validate and tailor the filters based on the specific needs of your analysis or investigation.
Common Combinations for Filters
Wireshark is a powerful network analysis tool that allows us to capture, inspect, and analyze network traffic. One of its key features is the ability to filter captured packets using various expressions and combinations of operator signs. In this table, we present the ten most common combinations of operator signs frequently used in Wireshark filters. These combinations enable network analysts and security professionals to create precise filters for targeted packet analysis. Each entry in the table includes the filter combination, common use cases for employing the filter, potential pitfalls to watch out for, security threats or investigations where the filter is valuable, and any additional notes to enhance understanding. By mastering these filter combinations, you will gain valuable insights into your network’s behavior, detect anomalies, and identify potential security threats more efficiently.
No. | Filter | Common Usage | Practical Applications | Pitfalls | Security Implications | Additional Tips |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ip.src == 192.168.0.1 && tcp | Filter packets from a specific source IP and TCP only | Analyzing TCP traffic from a specific host | None | N/A | Use parentheses for complex expressions |
2 | ip.dst == 10.0.0.0/24 || icmp | Filter packets to a specific subnet or ICMP | Monitoring ICMP traffic or identifying communication to a subnet | Logical OR may match more packets | N/A | Group multiple OR conditions with parentheses |
3 | tcp.port == 80 || tcp.port == 443 | Filter packets on specific TCP ports | Capturing HTTP (port 80) and HTTPS (port 443) traffic | Logical OR may match more packets | N/A | Use in operator for port ranges |
4 | ip.src == 192.168.0.1 && tcp.port > 1024 | Filter packets from a specific IP and high ports | Investigating communication from a host to high-numbered ports | Incorrect port range may be used | N/A | Combine with || for a wider range |
5 | tcp.flags.syn == 1 && tcp.flags.ack == 0 | Filter SYN-only packets | Identifying TCP handshakes without ACK responses | May not capture all handshakes | Identifying potential port scanning or reconnaissance | Combine with other filters for context |
6 | ip.addr == 192.168.0.1 && dns.qry.name contains "example" | Filter DNS queries from a specific IP with a specific domain name | Monitoring DNS traffic from a specific host to a domain | Case sensitivity in domain matching | Detecting DNS tunneling or suspicious domain lookups | Use dns.qry.name matches for regex matching |
7 | tcp.port == 22 && !(ssh) | Filter SSH packets but exclude SSH protocol | Capturing SSH traffic while excluding SSH protocol traffic | Logical NOT may exclude desired packets | N/A | Be cautious with complex negation |
8 | tcp.analysis.retransmission && tcp.len > 0 | Filter retransmitted packets with payload | Identifying TCP retransmissions with non-zero payload | May not capture all retransmissions | N/A | Combine with tcp.len == 0 for full analysis |
9 | http.response.code == 200 && http.content_type == "text/html" | Filter HTTP responses with a 200 status code and “text/html” content type | Analyzing successful HTTP responses with HTML content | Case sensitivity in content type | N/A | Use http.content_type contains for partial matches |
10 | ip.addr == 192.168.0.1 && tcp.flags.fin == 1 && tcp.len == 0 | Filter TCP FIN-only packets | Identifying TCP connections terminated with FIN-only packets | May not capture all FIN packets | Identifying potential stealthy network activities | Combine with other filters for context |
Note: The table above presents the filters in their Wireshark syntax format and provides practical use cases for each combination. Remember to adjust the IP addresses, port numbers, and other filter parameters as needed for your specific analysis. Always validate and test your filters to ensure accurate results.