performing-network-forensics-with-wireshark

name	performing-network-forensics-with-wireshark
description	Capture and analyze network traffic using Wireshark and tshark to reconstruct network events, extract artifacts, and identify malicious communications. Use when working with performing network forensics with wireshark.
domain	cybersecurity
tags	["forensics","network-forensics","wireshark","pcap","packet-analysis","traffic-analysis"]
subdomain	digital-forensics
version	1.0
author	oyi77
license	Apache-2.0
nist_csf	["RS.AN-01","RS.AN-03","DE.AE-02","RS.MA-01"]

Performing Network Forensics With Wireshark

Overview

Cybersecurity skill for performing network forensics with wireshark. Follows industry best practices and security standards.

When to Use

Trigger phrases:

• "performing network forensics with wireshark"

• "Capture and analyze network traffic using Wireshark and tshark to reconstruct ne"

• When analyzing captured network traffic (PCAP files) from a security incident

• For identifying command-and-control (C2) communications in captured traffic

• When reconstructing data exfiltration activities from packet captures

• During malware analysis to identify network indicators of compromise

• For extracting files, credentials, and artifacts transferred over the network

When NOT to Use

• When you lack proper authorization for testing
• For production systems without change management
• When the task requires legal or compliance expertise beyond technical scope

Prerequisites

• Wireshark or tshark installed for packet analysis
• PCAP/PCAPNG files from network captures (tcpdump, Wireshark, network TAP)
• NetworkMiner for automated artifact extraction
• Sufficient RAM for large capture files (1GB+ PCAPs need 8GB+ RAM)
• Understanding of TCP/IP, HTTP, DNS, TLS protocols
• GeoIP databases for IP geolocation

Workflow

# Example: IOC detection
import re

IOC_PATTERNS = {
    "ip": r"\b(?:\d{1,3}\.){3}\d{1,3}\b",
    "domain": r"\b[a-z0-9-]+\.[a-z]{2,}\b",
    "hash_md5": r"\b[a-f0-9]{32}\b",
    "hash_sha256": r"\b[a-f0-9]{64}\b",
}

def extract_iocs(text: str) -> dict:
    return {k: re.findall(v, text) for k, v in IOC_PATTERNS.items()}