EC-Council Certified Security Specialist (ECSS) Practice Test

Intercepting network traffic to capture data is described as packet sniffing. This term refers to using tools that monitor and read the raw data packets traveling over a network. When a network interface is placed in promiscuous mode, a sniffer can see traffic that isn’t addressed to that device, allowing analysis of headers and payloads. If the traffic isn’t encrypted, sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, or messages can be read directly from the captured data. This makes sniffing the precise, technical description of capturing network packets.

Spamming is about sending unsolicited messages, typically email, and has nothing to do with observing network traffic. Eavesdropping is a broader idea of secretly listening to communications but isn’t the specific network practice of capturing packets; sniffing is the exact term used for packet-level interception. A Trojan is a type of malicious software disguised as legitimate but doesn’t by itself describe traffic capture.