Packet Pub Quiz Video Answer - Proper TCP SYN Response

First thing I want to do is thank everyone who came out to the virtual pub quiz events at www.coreitpros.com/quiz.

I thought it would be helpful to pick some questions, explain the answers and possibly show you a few tips or tricks along the way. The statement in the quiz was “The appropriate response to a TCP SYN is ____” and the correct answer is SYN ACK.

I think the word “appropriate” may have thrown some people off. When I say appropriate I mean a successful connection because the connection request might fail.

In this video I will show you how to prove or disprove the answer.

Real-Time Network Visibility Improves Data Protection Policies.

 Is well known that organizations need security and monitoring tools to detect potential threats and immediately alert the security team on suspicious activity that could indicate a data theft attempt. However, to do it effectively, network visibility solutions are needed to analyze the traffic in real-time.

Optimize your security with real-time visibility of your traffic.

A TAP (Test Access Point), also referred to as an Ethernet or network TAP, is a straightforward device that copies every bit of traffic that moves between two network endpoints. This dependable technology supports inline security technologies including web application firewalls (WAF), intrusion prevention systems (IPS), and advanced threats protection (ATP). When deploying these devices, it is essential to make sure that traffic keeps flowing even if the devices are offline in order to maintain access to the crucial business services.

Therefore, Inline Bypass TAP is the first layer of defense needed to protect your network against attacks. Supporting failsafe technology and heartbeat functionality, Network Critical’s Bypass TAPs will provide complete visibility into the network traffic and optimize your traffic analysis and security tool performance. You can now, remove single points of tool failure by providing multiple layers of resiliency with the Bypass Technology. Network Critical’s V-Line TAP can be deployed in different modes that adjust to the company’s needs. Read more at www.networkcritical.com/bypass-taps.

Companies of all sizes can safeguard their data by continuously monitoring traffic as it passes through the network. Security leaders can use these insights to effectively handle sensitive data and get ready for new and emerging compliance standards.

We all rely on vast volumes of personal information to secure the success of our consumers and companies, whether we are a retailer, financial institutions, utility, government organizations, or manufacturers. The first step in protecting your sensitive data, and treating it accordingly is knowing where it is, where it comes from, and where it is going.

Learn more about network traffic visibility at https://www.networkcritical.com/network-visibility and become an expert on your network!

Packet Pub Quiz Answer Video - LLMNR only runs over IPv6

 First thing I want to do is thank everyone who came out to the virtual pub quiz events at www.coreitpros.com/quiz.

I thought it would be helpful to pick some questions, explain the answers and possibly show you a few tips or tricks along the way.

The statement in the quiz was “LLMNR only runs over IPv6” and the correct answer is FALSE. LLMNR runs over both IPv4 and IPv6, but don’t take my word for it.

In this video I will show you how to prove or disprove the answer.

5 reasons TAPs are better than SPAN ports.

1. If the speed of the SPAN port becomes overloaded frames are dropped. Because the SPAN session copies full-duplex traffic, a fully loaded 1Gbps link actually can produce 2Gbps of traffic to the monitor port oversubscribing the capability of the port. Note also, that SPAN traffic is the lowest priority traffic in the switch. This will cause all output traffic beyond 1Gbps to be dropped.

2. Proper spanning requires that a network engineer configure the switches properly and this takes away from the more important tasks that network engineers have many times configurations can become a political issue (constantly creating contention between the IT team, the security team, and the compliance team). The TAP, on the other hand, is independent of the network endpoints making up a link. There are many different points in the network where taps can be inserted offering access to a variety of analysis, compliance, and security tools.

3. Because of a TAP’s independence from the network endpoints, it can copy 100% of the data to the monitor port. Physical layer errors, error packets, short frames, and other packets that might be filtered out on a SPAN session are all passed through TAPs to the monitor port(s). This provides the IT Manager with a legally defensible, pure data stream for analysis and reporting. TAPs guarantee access to all the data all the time.

4. TAPs do not analyze packets, change packet timing, alter or otherwise interfere with network traffic. While Spanning or mirroring changes the timing of the frame interaction (what you see is not what really happened).

5. TAPs also provide flexibility in how they pass traffic to the monitor port. There are four different modes of operation: Breakout, Aggregation, Regeneration, and Inline or Bypass TAP. Allowing for out-of-band and in-line operations.

In summary, IT Managers are increasingly turning to TAPs as the preferred method for connecting network, performance, and security tools. TAPs provide access to all the data to ensure an accurate analysis. They grant fail-safe operation avoiding the risk of network disruption as a result of power interruption or failure of an appliance.

To learn more about network TAPs and the key features to optimize your network traffic visibility, visit https://www.networkcritical.com/network-taps and become an expert on your network!

Wireshark Silent Install

A silent Wireshark installation is one of the easiest ways for IT teams to deploy packet-capture tools consistently across many computers. Instead of walking through the installation wizard on each machine, administrators can use command-line options or software deployment platforms such as Microsoft Intune, Group Policy, SCCM, or other endpoint-management tools. This ensures that every installation uses the same settings, components, and capture drivers, reducing configuration drift and saving a significant amount of deployment time.

Another major benefit is improved operational efficiency. Silent installations can be scripted and automated, making them ideal for laboratories, classrooms, troubleshooting kits, and enterprise environments where Wireshark needs to be available quickly. Administrators can install or update Wireshark during maintenance windows without user interaction, minimizing disruption to employees. Automation also reduces the chance of human error, such as selecting the wrong capture driver or skipping an important component during installation.

Security and compliance are additional advantages of a silent deployment. Organizations can predefine exactly which features are installed, disable unnecessary components, and maintain a documented installation process that aligns with internal standards. Because the installation runs unattended, users do not need administrative privileges to perform the setup themselves, helping IT maintain control over approved software versions. The result is a faster, more consistent, and more secure method of deploying Wireshark across desktops, laptops, virtual machines, and troubleshooting systems.

In this video, I show you how to silently install Wireshark, so no installation prompts appear.

It's a really helpful tip when you need to install Wireshark either quickly or have someone install Wireshark for the first time