So with this course and module,
we will be utilizing the Scapy module that is built on Python.
Scapy was built with the intention of creating an easier‑to‑use packet creation
manipulation and analysis framework that can both be used interactively and as
a module to simplify the further development of other tools and modules that
can be extended with these capabilities.
So what do we mean when we were talking about simplifying these tasks?
Scapy has an incredibly large index of different
actions that it is able to perform.
This includes everything from capturing traffic from a network or file to
analyzing individual protocol‑specific fields within traffic to creating
packets from scratch based on the specific needs of a user.
These packets can then use Scapy to send and receive these
packets to any number of different networking hosts based
on the inputted parameters.
This is, of course, a brief list of the potential actions that Scapy can perform,
but the idea that you should get from this is that it was
created to make your life as the user or programmer easier
when working with networks.
The next question is what it is not.
As noted previously, Scapy is built on top of Python,
and one of the inherent problems with this as of the recording of this course,
is that Python isn't known for its performance compared
with other lower‑level languages.
Because of this,
performing actions that require the greatest amount of
performance shouldn't use Scapy or Python.
So now with Scapy quickly introduced,
let's move into the next section where we talk
about sniffing traffic with Scapy.