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• In short, packet sniffing means eavesdropping on other people’s
conversations. Packet spoofing refers to dynamically presenting phony
network traffic impersonating to be someone else.
• In packet sniffing, an attacker can’t cause any mutilation to the system per
se and hence is a passive attack. Packet spoofing is an active attack where
it is possible for an attacker to introduce a harmful program to taint the

victim’s system.
• The attackers get access to the device or system through which the traffic
is directed in packet and packet spoofing, the attack is done by transferring
packets with incorrect source address i.e., modifying routing tables.
• A popular method to defend sniffing is by way of encryption while the top
method to tackle spoofing is by use of digital signatures.

CONCLUSION

In both the sniffing and spoofing attacks, the victims or the targeted persons
are completely unaware of the fact that their data and exchanges have been

intercepted and conceded. This becomes one of the greatest strengths for the
intruders who take away the private information for their undue benefits.

Hence, it is imperative to understand their mechanism and know ways to
defend against these attacks. Some of the ways to defend against these

attacks are as follows:

• It is important to use and surf only websites that are encrypted with the
“HTTPS-.” This can be found by looking at the address of the website. The
presence of HTTPS:// in the address bar means a secure website, which
makes it impossible for the hacker to sniff out the data.

• A Virtual Private Network or VPN helps track all your Internet movement
over an encrypted network, which is impossible for a hacker to invade and
trace. This is extremely important and useful if you are online in public as a
VPN conceals your real IP address from hackers who may attempt to track
or trace it.
• Network administrators must scan and observe their network’s bandwidth
monitoring or device auditing at periodical intervals to detect any doubtful
traffic or activity.
Be mindful and aware of every activity that happens in your system to be
secure and safe at all times.