Intranet Security using a LAN Packet Sniffer to Monitor Traffic

Abstract: This paper was designed to provide Intranet traffic monitoring by sniffing the packets at the local Area Network (LAN) server end to provide security and control. It was implemented using five computer systems configured with static Internet Protocol (IP) addresses used in monitoring the IP traffic on the network by capturing and analyzing live packets from various sources and destinations in the network. The LAN was deployed on windows 8 with a D-link 16-port switch, category 6 Ethernet cable and other LAN devices. The IP traffics were captured and analyzed using Wireshark Version 2.0.3. Four network instructions were used in the analysis of the IP traffic and the results displayed the IP and Media Access Control (MAC) address sources and destinations of the frames, Ethernet, IP addresses, User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). The outcome can aid network administrators to control Intranet access and provide security.