dsniff

Classic suite for password sniffing on a LAN.

KaliParrotLinuxhigh

pkg: dsniff

dsniff captures plaintext credentials (FTP, HTTP, IMAP…) from network traffic, with arpspoof/dnsspoof helpers.

Syntax

dsniff -i {iface}

Example

dsniff -i eth0

Passively harvests plaintext credentials seen on the wire.

Options & flags

What each switch does. Toggle them in the builder below to assemble a command.

-i <eth0>Interface to sniff.
-m <value>Enable automatic protocol detection.
-w <creds.txt>Write captured data to a file.

Command builder

Tick options (and fill any values) to build a ready-to-copy command.

dsniff

Usage examples

dsniff -i eth0

Harvest plaintext credentials on the LAN.

Advantages
  • Captures many cleartext protocols
  • Includes spoofing helpers
Disadvantages
  • Cleartext only (TLS defeats it)
  • LAN/legacy
Tags
#sniffing#credentials

Official docs: dsniff

Related commands

Frequently asked questions

What is dsniff used for?
dsniff captures plaintext credentials (FTP, HTTP, IMAP…) from network traffic, with arpspoof/dnsspoof helpers.
What is an example dsniff command?
A common example is: dsniff -i eth0 — Passively harvests plaintext credentials seen on the wire.
Is dsniff part of Kali Linux?
Yes. dsniff ships with Kali Linux (and Parrot OS). If missing, install it with: sudo apt install dsniff.
What category of security tool is dsniff?
dsniff is a Sniffing & Spoofing tool with a high-risk profile when run against a live target.

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