Traffic Capture Strategies

1 min read Advanced Security Topics

Traffic Capture Strategies

Effective traffic capture requires strategic placement and configuration:

Capture Points:

  1. Network Perimeter: Internet gateway for external traffic
  2. Internal Segments: Between network zones
  3. Server Farms: Critical application traffic
  4. User Segments: End-user activity
  5. DMZ: Public-facing services

Capture Methods:

SPAN/Mirror Ports:

# Cisco configuration example
monitor session 1 source interface GigabitEthernet0/1
monitor session 1 destination interface GigabitEthernet0/24

Network TAPs:

  • Hardware devices providing packet copies
  • No impact on network performance
  • Fail-safe operation
  • Higher cost but more reliable

Inline Capture:

# Linux bridge mode capture
brctl addbr br0
brctl addif br0 eth0
brctl addif br0 eth1
tcpdump -i br0 -w capture.pcap