CompTIA PenTest+ Practice Test

What is a common open-source utility used for debugging and investigating network connections?

1. Netcat

2. Fiddler

3. Tcpdump

4. Wireshark

The correct answer is: Netcat

Netcat is often referred to as a "Swiss army knife" for network interactions due to its versatility in creating TCP or UDP connections and being able to listen on arbitrary ports. While it can facilitate network communications and testing of connections, its primary use is not solely focused on debugging and investigating network traffic in depth. The most suitable option for debugging and investigating network connections in a detailed manner would be Wireshark. Wireshark is a comprehensive packet analyzer that captures network traffic in real-time and provides extensive analytical capabilities. It allows users to dissect packets and offers a graphical interface to analyze communication protocols, making it the preferred tool for network troubleshooting and analysis. Tcpdump is also a powerful command-line packet analyzer capable of capturing and displaying packets on a network. It is widely used for capturing and analyzing network traffic, but it lacks the user-friendly interface and advanced analytical features that Wireshark provides. Fiddler is a web debugging proxy tool frequently utilized for monitoring and analyzing HTTP and HTTPS traffic between a computer and the internet. Although it serves well for debugging web applications, it's not as general-purpose as Wireshark or Tcpdump for broader network connection investigations. Hence, while Netcat is useful in various network tasks, Wireshark is the more appropriate