[WireShark] shows only headers ? or even encapsulated Data ?

Fahim Akhter · 11-17-2008, 07:48 AM

Hi there!

Installed wireshark on my machine ( after installing the million prerecs). But wireshark does not seem to be showing me the data inside the packets only the headers.

I need to modify the packets, so I need to see whether the receiving data is modified or not. Can wireshark show me the data in the packets ? (not just the protocol)

Thanks,
Fahim Akhter

acid_kewpie · 11-17-2008, 09:35 AM

Have you set the limit box to 60 bytes or some such? by default it will capture all the traffic. On the main wireshark screen you have three panels right? the bottom one shows the entire packet in hex, and the middle splits out the protocols, which the payload being at the bottom of the middle pane, IF it can decode what the payload is.

Fahim Akhter · 11-18-2008, 12:28 AM

I'm using default settings, when I decode the pay load. Click on a perticular bit, it tells me which part of the header it belongs to , like this is the MAC , this is IP bit and so on. But every bit is related to the header. There isn't where it actually says Data.

Like it does in this windows application Packet Analyzer - Colasoft Capsa 6.9

acid_kewpie · 11-18-2008, 01:37 AM

I'd be confident the data is there, never seen that from any default wireshark install in windows or linux. expand ALL the entries in the middle pane and take a screenshot of what's at the bottom of that page and upload it somewhere for us. are you sure there actually IS amounts of decodeable data in the traffic your looking at?

Fahim Akhter · 11-18-2008, 03:31 AM

Oh Ok, I get it now... The packets that I was focusing on did not have a data segment I think. I started a TCP file transfer, and I can see the batches of data passing now.

Thanks everyone

acid_kewpie · 11-18-2008, 03:45 AM

when you're initiating a 3 way TCP handshake, there is no payload, only syn, synack, ack.

Fahim Akhter · 11-18-2008, 03:50 AM

Well, I did see the payload, must be something else. But not having a payload raises a question for me. If i am working on encryption and i want my Box to only accept encrypted packets. The acknowledgements and everything will not be encrypted, wouldn't that present a network delima?

acid_kewpie · 11-18-2008, 04:27 AM

Well you can't only accept "encrypted" packets as they take many forms at many layers. I'm not sure what dilema you're talking about here. in the case of HTTPS for example, the encrpytion is at session layer (SSL), not transport (TCP) so the network traffic looks the same until you really start devling into the payload.

Fahim Akhter · 11-18-2008, 07:54 AM

I need to drop the packets which are not encrypted and decrypt the one's that are and forward them to their respective network

acid_kewpie · 11-18-2008, 11:35 AM

with wireshark??? that's nothing like what wireshark does.

Fahim Akhter · 11-19-2008, 12:17 AM

lol, Yes I do realise wireshark doesn't do that. I wast merely telling the whole senario. Thanks a lot for your help and support

Fahim Akhter