What type of data does a network sniffer analyze?

A network sniffer is a tool designed specifically to capture and analyze packets that are traveling over a network. This includes all data sent across the network, such as headers, payloads, source and destination addresses, and any protocols in use. The ability to analyze this packet-level data is crucial for network troubleshooting, security monitoring, and performance analysis, as it helps in identifying issues such as dropped packets, unauthorized access attempts, and network congestion.

While router configurations, text messages, and external network traffic logs may provide valuable information in their own right, they do not represent the primary function of a network sniffer. Router configurations pertain to the setup and rules governing a router's operations; text messages may be transmitted over network protocols but are not the focus of sniffer analysis; and external network traffic logs are records of traffic but do not provide the real-time, detailed packet examination that a sniffer does. Hence, the accurate answer centers around the analysis of packets traveling over the network.