Site pages and messages are not sent through the web unblemished as one report. Or maybe, the sending side (your PC) separates them into numerous little information bundles. These parcels are routed to an IP address at the less than desirable end which typically has a commitment to recognize receipt of each bundle it gets. With a specific end goal to do bolster that, every bundle contains the sending and accepting IP address and a considerable measure of other data.These bundles don’t get go from the sender to the collector all at once. Or maybe, every bundle navigates the web on the way to its goal by going through various movement control gadgets, for example, routers and switches. Each time a parcel goes through one of these movement control gadgets, it is defenseless to catch and investigation.
The routers’ part in this procedure is truly to course movement to its goal. The routers of the web have some thought of where the goal IP address is, or if nothing else they know where to send the parcel on the off chance that they’re not specifically associated with the goal. This system is called union since parcels from everywhere throughout the world join on their goal by ideals of directing. Consider an expansive goal, for example, Facebook. It has movement coming to it from the whole way across the globe. As those bundles get closer to the genuine Facebook servers, the dissimilar activity focalizes into an extremely bustling area of the web. The routers at those areas should be exceptionally strong and secure.
The major players ever in the history, associated with bundle sniffing for different reasons throughout the years are non other than two major governments viz- U.S & U.K.
The Snowden papers uncovered a monstrous reconnaissance device, named “PRISM“, that the United States Government has been conveying in mystery for quite a long time. Specifically, the National Security Agency (NSA) has been inactively gathering web movement bound for substantial web destinations, for example, Facebook, Google, and others. The NSA has substantial scale investigation apparatuses, for example, XKeyscore which enable it to look through the gathered bundles at a later date.
On the other hand, United Kingdom has a similar passive collection surveillance system named “Tempora“. The UK is uniquely positioned in that most of its internet traffic arrives at the UK via undersea fiber optic cables. This provides a single point of entry and egress to and from the UK and the “Tempora” collection devices operate at these locations.
SOURCE: https://www.comparitech.com/blog/information-security/what-is-packet-sniffing/#gref