How do I use Scapy to sniff packets for 10 seconds?

To use Scapy to sniff packets for 10 seconds, you can utilize the sniff function with the timeout parameter. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Installation:

First, ensure that you have Scapy installed. You can install it using pip:

pip install scapy

2. Basic Sniffing Code:

Here's the Python code using Scapy to capture packets for 10 seconds:

from scapy.all import

def packet_callback(packet):
    print(packet.summary())

if __name__ == '__main__':
    print("Sniffing packets for 10 seconds...")
    packets = sniff(timeout=10, prn=packet_callback)
    print(f"Captured {len(packets)} packets.")


Explanation:

- We import everything from the Scapy library using from scapy.all import .

- A packet_callback function is defined which is called every time a packet is received. This example prints a summary of the packet.

- The sniff function is called with a timeout parameter set to 10, which specifies that the sniffing should run for 10 seconds. The prn parameter specifies the callback function to be used every time a packet is sniffed.

- The number of captured packets is printed after the 10 seconds have passed.

3. Running the code:

Execute the Python script. You may need administrator/root privileges to capture packets, because it involves directly interacting with the network interface.

4. Optional interface specification:

If you need to sniff on a specific interface, you can specify that interface with the iface parameter. For example, to sniff on the eth0 interface:

packets = sniff(timeout=10, prn=packet_callback, iface="eth0")

5. Filtering packets:

You can also filter the packets you capture using the filter parameter. For example, to sniff only TCP packets:

packets = sniff(timeout=10, prn=packet_callback, filter="tcp")

By using these parameters, you can customize the sniffing process to suit your needs, whether by time, specific network interface, or protocol.

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