Update: Week 04
Getting ready to start showing some visible progress…
Highlights
- Started working on the site you see before you
- Captured packets using Wireshark and analyzed HTTP and HTTPS traffic
The Long Story
I’m working on my portfolio/project tracking site. I’m using Jekyll (new to me) so that is taking a little bit of time to get used to. Not terrible but should have smoother sailing ahead now that I have it set up using default layouts.
More directly related to my project…
I captured packets using Wireshark. The first thing I did was look for unencrypted HTTP traffic on port 80. I didn’t see anything malicious, which is always a good start to network monitoring! I did get a quick conversation with an Apple server checking that I have internet access.
I got this:
It doesn’t do anything sensitive so it makes sense to use this port. But the fact that I can see in plain text what was sent is something to be aware of; what if this was the port I was using to log into an account! That’s why it’s critical to make sure that desired traffic is directed to the appropriate ports. Had I wanted anything secure, I’d use Port 443, which is HTTPS (S = Secure). When I checked traffic through Port 443, the application data I received was several bytes that I couldn’t make heads or tails of by just looking at it. Much better for online banking!
I’ve also continued my CompTIA Network+ studies using official materials. It feels good to immediately see the materials applied across in using Wireshark.
Next week I am going to continue working through study materials, working on my website, and go through different types of packets in more depth to understand the differences in DNS, TCP handshakes, HTTPS, ICMP, and DHCP.
I didn’t find the time to create a calendar for this project this past week but will need to do so this week to stay on target.
The biggest risk I am facing is information overload. Not one thing I’m working on this semester is too much, but combined is definitely putting a bit more strain on my ability to learn and retain. Time management has been difficult lately and foreseeably I will still be tight on time. I think the best way to mitigate is to work in smaller chunks with small breaks. I am a big fan of the Pomodoro Method when I write and think I will start using it more for this work. Instead of thinking, “I need to finish x and it’s going to take y,” I’m working on shifting to, “I’m working on x and I will use y/25 min chunks to chip away at it.” It’s more actionable and will get me started earlier.
Addendum
I should have clarified that those port numbers are default ports and the expectation is for traffic to be encrypted if going through 443 but is not guaranteed. In checking packets it can’t be assumed that 443 will be encrypted. HTTPS uses TLS encryption and that’s where the cryptographic magic happens to create session keys from the public and private keys.