How can I capture packets in Android? [closed]

Question

I would like to capture TCP packets as well as protocol data such as HTTP and HTTPS in Android, similar to Wireshark in Windows.

How can I do this in Android?

Answer 1

Option 1 - Android PCAP

Limitation

Android PCAP should work so long as:

Your device runs Android 4.0 or higher (or, in theory, the few devices which run Android 3.2). Earlier versions of Android do not have a USB Host API

Option 2 - TcpDump

Limitation

Phone should be rooted

Option 3 - bitshark (I would prefer this)

Limitation

Phone should be rooted

Reason - the generated PCAP files can be analyzed in WireShark which helps us in doing the analysis.

Other Options without rooting your phone

1. tPacketCapture

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.co.taosoftware.android.packetcapture&hl=en

Advantages

Using tPacketCapture is very easy, captured packet save into a PCAP file that can be easily analyzed by using a network protocol analyzer application such as Wireshark.

2. You can route your android mobile traffic to PC and capture the traffic in the desktop using any network sniffing tool.

http://lifehacker.com/5369381/turn-your-windows-7-pc-into-a-wireless-hotspot

Answer 2

It's probably worth mentioning that for http/https some people proxy their browser traffic through Burp/ZAP or another intercepting "attack proxy". A thread that covers options for this on Android devices can be found here: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/32366/which-browser-does-support-proxies