Top 23 Wireshark filters for Malware detection
Top 23 Wireshark filters for Malware detection
WIRESHARK
FILTERS
for Threat Detection
Purpose
It captures and analyzes network traffic in real-time, helping
in troubleshooting, security analysis, and network
optimization.
Key Features:
Deep inspection of hundreds of protocols.
Live traffic capture and offline analysis.
Ability to decrypt many protocols, including SSL/TLS.
Types of Filters:
Capture Filters: Applied during data capture, limiting the
data being captured.
Display Filters: Applied after capturing data, allowing
for in-depth analysis of specific traffic.
Display filter
http.request.method == "GET"
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Check the HTTP headers for an abnormal number of requests
from the same source IP.
If the source IP varies, investigate suspicious patterns in user-
agent strings.
Display filter
dns
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Inspect the DNS query field for abnormal payload sizes or
repeated requests.
For high-frequency DNS queries from one source, analyze the
DNS response time for unusual delays.
Display filter
smb.cmd == 0x73
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Check the SMB headers for failed login attempts in the status
code field.
If the attack includes successful logins, monitor SMB command
response times.
Display filter
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Review the TCP headers and check if there’s a high volume of
SYN packets without corresponding ACKs.
If there are some ACK responses, look for unusually delayed
ACKs or connection resets.
Display filter
dns.qry.name
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Check the DNS response section for large-sized responses and
unexpected source addresses.
If response sizes seem normal, look at the TTL field for
unusually low values.
Display filter
icmp
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Review the ICMP headers for a high frequency of Echo Request
packets from a single source.
If packet sizes are unusual, inspect for ICMP packets larger than
the standard 64 bytes.
Display filter
arp.duplicate-address-frame
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Inspect the ARP header for mismatches between IP and MAC
addresses.
If there are no clear mismatches, check for ARP requests with
identical source IPs but different MAC addresses.
Display filter
dns.flags.rcode != 0
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Analyze DNS response headers for mismatched IP addresses or
altered TTL values.
If there’s no direct mismatch, check the response time field for
unexpected delays.
Display filter
http.user_agent
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Examine the HTTP headers for unusual or malformed User-
Agent strings.
If the User-Agent is not obviously suspicious, correlate requests
with known malicious IP addresses.
Display filter
ftp.request.command == "USER"
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Review FTP request headers for visible usernames and
passwords.
If no clear credentials are visible, inspect packet payloads for
plaintext data in the FTP stream.
Display filter
ssh
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Look for repetitive login attempts in the SSH connection
handshake fields.
If there are fewer attempts, analyze the session duration for
failed vs successful logins.
Display filter
dhcp
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Analyze the DHCP transaction ID for a high number of requests
without corresponding DHCP Offers.
If offers are present, check for quick lease time expiration in the
DHCP header.
Display filter
ssl.handshake.type == 11
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Review the SSL handshake header for certificates signed by
unknown authorities.
If the certificate seems valid, verify the encryption protocol used
for downgrade attempts.
Display filter
telnet
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Check for visible login credentials in the Telnet data fields.
If no credentials are visible, inspect for suspicious command
execution strings in the payload.
Display filter
tcp.port == 3389
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Inspect RDP header fields for repeated connection attempts
from the same IP.
If the source IP changes, review session IDs for abnormal
session initiation patterns.
Display filter
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Review the TCP flags in headers for SYN packets across
different ports.
If SYN-ACK responses are present, inspect for suspicious
response delays or resets.
Display filter
smtp
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Review SMTP headers for large or abnormal email attachments.
If attachment size seems normal, inspect destination domains
for unauthorized or unknown email addresses.
Display filter
dhcp
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Review the DHCP Offer packets and compare the DHCP server
IP address to authorized DHCP servers.
If server IPs match, check for abnormal lease durations or lease
renewals in the DHCP headers.
Display filter
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Review HTTP request URIs for SQL commands like SELECT,
DROP, or INSERT within the URL or payload.
If no SQL commands are found, inspect HTTP headers for error
responses that could indicate failed injection attempts.
Display filter
sip
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Check the SIP headers for unauthorized call setups or unknown
user IDs initiating the call.
If calls seem normal, analyze the RTP streams for abnormal
traffic patterns or packet loss
Display filter
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Review the HTTP request payloads for command execution
instructions such as cmd.exe.
If no commands are found, check for suspicious external server
connections, especially to uncommon IPs.
Display filter
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Check the SSL/TLS handshake headers for negotiation with
older protocol versions like SSL 2.0 or 3.0.
If SSL/TLS versions are acceptable, inspect certificate chains for
self-signed or expired certificates.
Display filter
http.request.method == "POST"
How to detect?
Open Wireshark, navigate to the filter bar, and enter the above-
mentioned display filter.
Review HTTP headers for POST requests with unusually large
payloads or requests to unknown IP addresses.
If payload sizes are small, inspect the content of the POST body
for base64-encoded or binary data.