WinPcap

Pros

• Learning how to use WinPcap could translate into a job
• Large count of different filtering options and maximum customizability
• Third-party GUI is available

Cons

• Considered an advanced product and can be convoluted
• Requires many prerequisites that do not come in the software package
• Very memory and network intensive; run with discretion

WinPcap is a common piece of software used to monitor incoming connections. Typically hosted on a server, it logs incoming and outgoing packets and can be highly customized with commandline arguments.

This software is intended for IT enthusiasts or professionals. Anyone can technically use it, but there are more user-friendly options like Wireshark for novice users who are interested in monitoring packet transmission. WinPcap is a very standard and stable packet capturing library and has been around for many years. It's highly extendable and can be used with many different programming language. It's used as the backbone for many other modern tools, as well.

It does not have an interface as most people think of one. It is solely commandline based, which means that a user has to open a command terminal and use only text to run it. However, there are some third-party graphical client implementations that may be of interest to people who prefer to have a GUI for programs they use.

This suite is capable of advanced packet monitoring and filtering. These can be especially helpful in determining who is coming to your site, whether exploits are being attempted, malicious users, and more. It's the golden industry standard. Anyone getting into networking is highly advised to check out this cool library.

All-in-all, WinPcap is here to stay. It has been implemented in so many programs that its development will not cease.

Pros

• Learning how to use WinPcap could translate into a job
• Large count of different filtering options and maximum customizability
• Third-party GUI is available

Cons

• Considered an advanced product and can be convoluted
• Requires many prerequisites that do not come in the software package
• Very memory and network intensive; run with discretion