PACKET SNIFFER WITH MALWARE DETECTION USING VIRUSTOTAL API

With the rapid expansion of network-based systems and Internet-enabled devices, cybersecurity threats such as malware, ransomware, and unauthorized intrusions have increased significantly. Traditional packet sniffing tools provide detailed traffic analysis but lack automated mechanisms for identifying malicious activity in real time. This paper presents a packet sniffer integrated with malware detection using the VirusTotal threat intelligence platform. The proposed system captures live network packets, extracts critical packet attributes, and analyzes source IP addresses through the VirusTotal API to determine their malicious nature. A graphical user interface (GUI) is implemented to visualize real-time traffic and detection results, enhancing usability and accessibility. Experimental observations demonstrate that the system effectively detects malicious IP addresses and logs network activity for further analysis, making it a practical solution for proactive network security monitoring.