Wireshark Projects: Analyzing HTTP Traffic

This project demonstrates how to capture and analyze HTTP traffic via Wireshark. This is crucial for identifying network security issues, investigating anomalies, and understanding how web communication works.

Exercise 1: Capturing Web Traffic

• Select active network interface
• Start capture and navigate to an HTTP website (e.g., example.com)
• Stop capture once page loads

Exercise 2: Filtering for HTTP

• Use filter: http
• Only HTTP traffic is displayed, making it easier to review

Exercise 3: Analyzing HTTP Requests

Examine HTTP GET requests under "Hypertext Transfer Protocol" section in the packet details pane. Review headers and parameters.

Exercise 4: Analyzing HTTP Responses

Locate the HTTP response for the request, and review status codes, headers, and content type.

Exercise 5: Extracting and Examining Payload Data

• Right-click > Follow > TCP Stream
• View raw content of the webpage in the TCP stream window

Conclusion

These exercises provided a solid foundation in HTTP traffic analysis and packet dissection using Wireshark.