Network Packet Analyzer 🌐🔍

Overview 🚀

The Network Packet Analyzer is a Python-based GUI application built with tkinter, scapy, and matplotlib 🎨. It’s your go-to tool for capturing, analyzing, and visualizing network packets in real-time with a fun and user-friendly interface 😄. Apply packet filters, view summaries, save data, and enjoy dynamic graphs showcasing traffic trends and protocol distributions 📊.

Perfect for network admins, security geeks, or anyone curious about network traffic! 🕵️‍♂️

---

Features ✨

• Packet Capture 🕸️: Snag network packets with custom filters (e.g., tcp, udp, port 80).
• Real-Time Display 📜: Watch packet summaries scroll in a neat text area.
• Dynamic Visualization 📈:
  • Line graph tracking packet capture trends over time ⏱️.
  • Pie chart showing protocol distribution (TCP, UDP, ICMP) 🥧.
• Save Captured Data 💾: Export packet summaries to captured_packets.txt.
• Clear Output 🧹: Wipe the text area clean for a fresh start.
• Responsive GUI 🖥️: Font size adjusts dynamically when you resize the window.
• Status Updates 🔔: Stay in the loop with real-time status (e.g., "Capturing packets...", "Idle").

---

Requirements 🛠️

To get this app running, you’ll need:

• Python 🐍: Version 3.6 or higher.
• tkinter 🖼️: Usually comes with Python; powers the GUI.
• scapy 📡: For capturing and analyzing packets.
• matplotlib 📊: For those slick real-time graphs.
• numpy 🔢: Optional, used by matplotlib for numerical magic.
• Npcap (Windows only) 🪟: Required for packet capturing on Windows.

Installation Steps 📋

1. Install Python 🐍:

   • Grab Python from python.org and install it.

2. Install Python Packages 📦:

   pip install scapy matplotlib

3. Install Npcap (Windows Only) 🪟:

   • Npcap is required for scapy to capture packets on Windows.
   • Steps:
     1. Download Npcap from npcap.com.
     2. Run the installer and follow the prompts.
     3. Ensure the "Install Npcap in WinPcap API-compatible mode" option is checked.
     4. Restart your computer if prompted.
   • Note: You may need administrative privileges to install Npcap.

4. Run with Admin Privileges 🔐:

   • scapy needs administrative/root privileges to capture packets.
   • On Windows, right-click your terminal (e.g., Command Prompt or PowerShell) and select "Run as administrator".
   • On Linux, use sudo (e.g., sudo python packet_sniffer.py).

---

Usage 🎮

1. Run the Application 🏃‍♂️:

   python packet_sniffer.py

   Replace packet_sniffer.py with your script’s name.

2. GUI Layout 🖱️:

   • Filter Entry ✍️: Type a filter (e.g., tcp, udp, port 80) to capture specific packets.
   • Buttons 🛎️:
     • Start Capture ▶️: Kick off packet capturing with your filter.
     • Stop Capture ⏹️: Pause the capture process.
     • Save to File 💾: Save packet summaries to captured_packets.txt.
     • Show Graphs 📉: Pop up real-time graphs for trends and protocols.
     • Clear Output 🗑️: Clear the packet summary display.
   • Text Area 📄: Shows live packet summaries.
   • Packet Count 🔢: Tracks total captured packets.
   • Status Bar ℹ️: Displays current state (e.g., "Idle", "Capturing packets...").

3. Capturing Packets 🕵️:

   • Enter a filter (optional) and hit Start Capture ▶️.
   • Watch packet summaries roll in the text area.
   • Click Stop Capture ⏹️ to halt.

4. Visualizing Data 📊:

   • Click Show Graphs 📉 to see:
     • A line graph of packets captured over time 📈.
     • A pie chart of protocol distribution (TCP, UDP, ICMP) 🥧.
   • Graphs refresh every second for real-time vibes ⏰.

5. Saving Data 💾:

   • After stopping, click Save to File to dump summaries to captured_packets.txt.

---

Code Structure 🏗️

The app is packed into a single Python script with these key pieces:

Main Components 🧩

• PacketSnifferApp Class 🖥️:

  • Runs the show for GUI and packet capturing.
  • Attributes:
    • master: The tkinter root window.
    • running: Boolean to toggle packet capturing.
    • packet_count: Counts captured packets.
    • captured_packets: Stores captured packets.
    • protocol_counter: Tracks protocol distribution (TCP, UDP, ICMP).
    • time_data: Logs packet counts for trends.
  • Methods:
    • __init__: Sets up the GUI and scaling.
    • update_layout: Tweaks font size based on window size.
    • start_sniffing: Fires up packet capture in a thread.
    • stop_sniffing: Stops capturing.
    • sniff_packets: Grabs packets with scapy.
    • display_packet: Processes and shows packet info.
    • save_to_file: Saves summaries to a file.
    • clear_output: Clears the text area.
    • show_graphs: Spins up real-time graphs.

• main Function 🚪:

  • Boots up the tkinter window and starts the app.

Key Dependencies 📚

• tkinter 🖼️: Builds the GUI (buttons, text area, etc.).
• scapy 📡: Captures and filters packets.
• threading 🧵: Runs capturing in a separate thread to keep the GUI smooth.
• matplotlib 📊: Powers line graphs and pie charts.
• collections.Counter 🔢: Counts protocol occurrences.

---

Implementation Details 🔍

GUI Design 🎨

• Built with tkinter for a clean, responsive layout.
• Widgets are packed or gridded for tidy placement.
• Text area font scales with window size for readability 📏.
• Buttons are grouped in a frame for a polished look.

Packet Capturing 📡

• Uses scapy’s sniff function to grab packets.
• Runs in a separate Thread to keep the GUI responsive.
• Filters (e.g., tcp, port 80) are passed to sniff.
• display_packet updates the GUI and tracks protocols.

Visualization 📈

• Packet Traffic Graph 📉:
  • Line graph plots packet counts over time.
  • Refreshes every second via FuncAnimation.
• Protocol Distribution 🥧:
  • Pie chart shows TCP, UDP, ICMP percentages.
  • Uses red, green, blue for visual pop 🌈.
  • Updates every second with FuncAnimation.

Data Storage 💾

• Packets are stored in captured_packets (list).
• save_to_file writes summaries to captured_packets.txt.

---

Limitations ⚠️

• Privileges 🔐: Needs admin/root access for scapy.
• Platform 🖥️: Tested on Windows/Linux; macOS may need tweaks.
• Filters ✍️: Invalid filter strings can cause errors—stick to scapy syntax.
• Performance 🐢: High packet volumes may slow the GUI or eat memory.
• Visualization 📊: Graphs may lag with tons of packets.

---

Future Improvements 🌟

• Advanced Filters 🔎: Add a dropdown for common filters or validate syntax.
• Packet Details 📋: Show source/destination IP, payload, etc.
• Export Formats 📄: Support PCAP, CSV, or JSON exports.
• Performance Boost ⚡: Buffer packets or limit displayed data.
• Cross-Platform Love 🌍: Ensure macOS compatibility.
• Error Handling 🛡️: Better messages for bad filters or missing privileges.

---

Troubleshooting 🩺

• "Permission Denied" Error 🚫:
  • Run with admin privileges (e.g., sudo on Linux or "Run as administrator" on Windows).
• No Packets Captured 😕:
  • Check if the network interface is active and traffic exists.
  • Verify filter syntax (e.g., tcp not TCP).
• GUI Freezes 🥶:
  • Stop capturing or reduce packet rate.
• Graphs Not Updating 📉:
  • Ensure matplotlib is installed and no errors during graph setup.
• Npcap Issues 🪟:
  • Reinstall Npcap or ensure WinPcap compatibility mode is enabled.

---

License 📜

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 🗽. You’re free to use, modify, and share it, as long as you keep it open-source and share your changes under the same license. See LICENSE for details.

---

Contact 📧

Got questions or ideas? Reach out to the project maintainer or open an issue on the repo (if available). Let’s make this tool even cooler! 😎