As from time to time we come along a web analytics solution that makes use of Packet (or IP) Sniffing, I took the opportunity during the Emetrics Summit 2006 in London to ask the different vendors that were present what they thought about this quite new technology, as the opinions were all on the same line.
For those who don't know about this technique, packet sniffing is designed for the purpose of monitoring network traffic in order to recognize and decode certain packets of interest. It makes use of a black box which is installed in the network.
Packet sniffing is also widely used by hackers and crackers to gather information illegally about networks they intend to break into. Using a packet sniffer it is possible to capture data like passwords, IP addresses, protocols being used on the network and other information that will help the attacker infiltrate the network.
And lately it is being used for web analytics reporting as well.
So what was the outcome of the nice little discussion I started during Emetrics: (more…)