analyzing-network-packets-with-scapy
Use Scapy to craft, send, sniff, and dissect TCP/UDP/ICMP/DNS packets, analyze pcap files, implement SYN scans, and detect anomalous traffic such as fragmented or malformed packets. Use when performing authorized network reconnaissance, protocol-level forensic analysis, or building traffic anomaly detection during security testing.
How do I install this agent skill?
npx skills add https://github.com/mukul975/anthropic-cybersecurity-skills --skill analyzing-network-packets-with-scapyIs this agent skill safe to install?
- Gen Agent Trust Hubpass
This skill is a legitimate utility for network packet analysis and cybersecurity forensics. It utilizes the Scapy library to inspect packet captures for security anomalies like SYN floods and DNS tunneling. The skill performs local processing of user-provided files and does not engage in unauthorized network activity or malicious behavior.
- Socketpass
No alerts
- Snykpass
Risk: LOW · No issues
- Runlayerpass
1/4 files flagged
What does this agent skill do?
Analyzing Network Packets with Scapy
Overview
Scapy is a Python packet manipulation library that enables crafting, sending, sniffing, and dissecting network packets at granular protocol layers. This skill covers using Scapy for security-relevant tasks including TCP/UDP/ICMP packet crafting, pcap file analysis, protocol field extraction, SYN scan implementation, DNS query analysis, and detecting anomalous traffic patterns such as unusually fragmented packets or malformed headers.
When to Use
- When investigating security incidents that require analyzing network packets with scapy
- When building detection rules or threat hunting queries for this domain
- When SOC analysts need structured procedures for this analysis type
- When validating security monitoring coverage for related attack techniques
Prerequisites
- Python 3.8+ with
scapylibrary installed (pip install scapy) - Root/administrator privileges for raw socket operations (sniffing, sending)
- Npcap (Windows) or libpcap (Linux) for packet capture
- Authorization to perform packet operations on target network
Steps
- Read and parse pcap/pcapng files with
rdpcap()for offline analysis - Extract protocol layers (IP, TCP, UDP, DNS, HTTP) and field values
- Compute traffic statistics: top talkers, protocol distribution, port frequency
- Detect SYN flood patterns by analyzing TCP flag ratios
- Identify DNS exfiltration indicators via query length and entropy analysis
- Craft custom probe packets for authorized network testing
- Export findings as structured JSON report
Expected Output
JSON report containing packet statistics, protocol distribution, top source/destination IPs, detected anomalies (SYN floods, DNS tunneling indicators, fragmentation attacks), and per-flow summaries.
How can the creator link this skill?
Add the canonical catalog link to the repository README so users can inspect current installs and available audits. The publishing guide covers the complete discovery path.
<a href="https://skillzs.dev/skills/mukul975/anthropic-cybersecurity-skills/analyzing-network-packets-with-scapy">View analyzing-network-packets-with-scapy on skillZs</a>