Wireshark is a powerful network protocol analyzer that allows users to capture and interactively browse the traffic running on a computer network. It can be used for various purposes including network troubleshooting, network security analysis, protocol development, and education. Version 2.6 introduced several new features and improvements over previous versions. Here's an overview of some key features and capabilities of Wireshark 2.6: 1. **Enhanced Protocol Support**: Wireshark 2.6 includes support for a wide range of network protocols, making it versatile for analyzing various types of network traffic. It supports protocols ranging from popular ones like TCP, UDP, HTTP, and DNS to more specialized protocols used in industrial control systems, IoT devices, and telecommunications networks. 2. **Packet Capture**: Wireshark allows users to capture packets from their network interface cards (NICs) in real-time or from saved capture files. Users can apply filters to capture only the packets they are interested in, reducing the amount of captured data and making analysis more efficient. 3. **Live Capture and Offline Analysis**: Wireshark supports both live packet capture and offline analysis of captured data. This flexibility allows users to capture packets as they are transmitted over the network or analyze previously captured data stored in capture files. 4. **Powerful Display Filters**: Wireshark provides a rich set of display filters that allow users to focus on specific packets or types of traffic. Filters can be based on various criteria such as protocol, source or destination IP address, port number, packet length, and more. 5. **Colorization and Packet Decoding**: Wireshark colorizes packets in the packet list pane to visually distinguish different types of traffic. It also decodes packet data according to the selected protocol, providing detailed information about each packet's contents. 6. **Packet Analysis and Statistics**: Wireshark includes tools for analyzing packet flows, detecting network anomalies, and generating statistics about network traffic. Users can identify issues such as packet loss, latency, retransmissions, and unusual behavior. 7. **Customization and Extensibility**: Wireshark is highly customizable and extensible through plugins and scripting. Users can write custom dissectors to decode proprietary protocols, create custom statistics reports, or automate repetitive tasks using scripting languages like Lua. 8. **Export and Sharing**: Wireshark allows users to export captured packets or analysis results in various formats including plain text, CSV, XML, and PDML (Packet Description Markup Language). Captured data can also be shared with others for collaboration or further analysis. 9. **Protocol Hierarchy and Follow Streams**: Wireshark provides a protocol hierarchy view that organizes captured packets based on the protocols they belong to, allowing users to drill down into specific protocol layers. Users can also follow TCP or UDP streams to view the entire conversation between hosts. 10. **Security Features**: Wireshark supports encrypted capture files and provides options for protecting sensitive information during packet capture and analysis. It also includes features for detecting and analyzing security threats such as malware, suspicious network activity, and unauthorized access attempts. Overall, Wireshark 2.6 is a comprehensive tool for network traffic analysis, offering a wide range of features and capabilities for both novice and experienced users. Whether you're troubleshooting network issues, monitoring network performance, or investigating security incidents, Wireshark provides the tools you need to analyze and understand network traffic effectively.