Ettercap vs Ethereal

Struggling to choose between Ettercap and Ethereal? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Ettercap is a Security & Privacy solution with tags like maninthemiddle, arp-spoofing, network-auditing, protocol-analysis, password-sniffing.

It boasts features such as Man-in-the-middle attack, Password sniffing, ARP spoofing detection, SSL stripping, Packet filtering and injection, Plugin support and pros including Free and open source, Works on various platforms, Powerful CLI interface, Supports many protocols, Can be used for auditing and analysis.

On the other hand, Ethereal is a Network & Admin product tagged with packet, network, analyzer, sniffer, protocol.

Its standout features include Packet capture and real-time network traffic analysis, Powerful display filters for analyzing captured data, Protocol dissection of hundreds of protocols, TCP reassembly and stream following, VoIP analysis and RTP streams playback, Supports common capture file formats like pcap and pcapng, Extensible via plugins and dissectors, and it shines with pros like Free and open source, Available for multiple platforms like Windows, Linux, macOS, Rich feature set for deep inspection and analysis, Support for wide range of network protocols, Active community support and development.

Feature	Ettercap	Ethereal
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Security & Privacy	Network & Admin

Product Overview

Ettercap

Description: Ettercap is a free and open source network security tool for man-in-the-middle attacks on LAN. It can be used for network auditing, protocol analysis, sniffing passwords, detecting ARP spoofing, and more.

Ethereal

Description: Ethereal is a free and open-source packet analyzer and network protocol analyzer software for Unix-like operating systems. It allows users to examine data from a live network or from a capture file on disk. Ethereal has powerful features to inspect hundreds of protocols, and provides the ability to reconstruct TCP sessions and browse data as it presents itself on the wire.

Key Features Comparison

Ettercap Features

• Man-in-the-middle attack
• Password sniffing
• ARP spoofing detection
• SSL stripping
• Packet filtering and injection
• Plugin support

Ethereal Features

• Packet capture and real-time network traffic analysis
• Powerful display filters for analyzing captured data
• Protocol dissection of hundreds of protocols
• TCP reassembly and stream following
• VoIP analysis and RTP streams playback
• Supports common capture file formats like pcap and pcapng
• Extensible via plugins and dissectors

Pros & Cons Analysis

Ettercap

Pros

• Free and open source
• Works on various platforms
• Powerful CLI interface
• Supports many protocols
• Can be used for auditing and analysis

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Prone to false positives
• Requires expertise to use effectively
• Does not work well on switched networks

Ethereal

Pros

• Free and open source
• Available for multiple platforms like Windows, Linux, macOS
• Rich feature set for deep inspection and analysis
• Support for wide range of network protocols
• Active community support and development

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Capturing and analysis limited by available bandwidth
• Lacks some features found in commercial analyzers
• User interface not very intuitive

Pricing Comparison

Ettercap

• Open Source

Ethereal

• Open Source