Npcap is the Nmap Project’s packet sniffing library for Windows. Created by Insecure.Com LLC Packet capture library for modern Windows versions. The fast, secure, and compatible successor to WinPcap. Npcap offers Support for Windows 10: Npcap works on Windows 7 and later by making use of the new NDIS 6 Light-Weight Filter (LWF) API. Also, the driver is signed with our EV certificate and countersigned by Microsoft, so it works even with the stricter driver signing requirements in Windows 10 1607. More Info » Extra Security: Npcap can be restricted so that only Administrators can sniff packets. We’ve also enabled the Windows ASLR and DEP security features and signed the driver, DLLs, and executables to prevent tampering. Loopback Packet Capture: Npcap is able to sniff loopback packets (transmissions between services on the same machine) by using the Windows Filtering Platform (WFP). After installation, Npcap will create an adapter named Npcap Loopback Adapter for you. If you are a Wireshark user, choose this adapter to capture, you will see all loopback traffic the same way as other non-loopback adapters. Try it by typing in commands like “ping 127.0.0.1” (IPv4) or “ping::1” (IPv6). Loopback Packet Injection: Npcap is also able to send loopback packets using the Winsock Kernel (WSK) technique. Npcap does the magic of removing the packet’s Ethernet header and injecting the payload into the Windows TCP/IP stack. WinPcap compatibility: For applications that don’t yet make use of Npcap’s advanced features, Npcap can be installed in “WinPcap Compatible Mode.” This will replace any existing WinPcap installation. If compatibility mode is not selected, Npcap can coexist alongside WinPcap.
How to Install Npcap Library For Windows Packet Capture?
Npcap is a very famous application for the window, it’s a packet capture library for the window operating system. It’s created and developed as a Nmap project. This application is mainly based on the Wincap project which is currently not actively developed.
This application has the most important feature, it’s support for the Windows 10 operating system, where the other competitor application only supports up to Windows 7. In this article, we will talk about the Npcap application and its features.
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Npcap
Alternatives
| # | Image | App Name | Features | Platforms | Price | Website Link |
| 2 |  |
WinPcap | Windows | Free | Website | |
| 3 | WinDivert Alternatives and Similar Software | Windows | Free | Website | ||
| 4 | Win10Pcap | Windows | Free | Website |
Features of Npcap Application
The Npcap provides a lot of features according to Winpcap. So we are sharing some of them.
- The first feature of this application is its support or work with the newer windows operating systems like window 10, windows server 2016, etc.
- It also provides extra security to administrator-level users. A non – admin user cant tries to package capture he should pass user account control.
- It also has loopback packet capture which makes npcap capture the interface packet capture which is generally used for different services to communicate on the localhost.
- The loopback packet injection also makes npcap inject packets to make the interfaces.
- It also supports libpcap API, it is very useful like the popular applications like Wireshark, tcpdump can use as a native application.
- It’s also a compatibility feature like the winpcap.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How many versions of Npcap?
The Npcap is an open-source project and it is free for most of the cases. For some other source projects, it needs cost support. So Npcap comes in two versions: open source and commercial.
- The open-source of Npcap can be downloaded, compiled, and also used for internal use.
- For commercial use, it provides OEM licenses with enterprise features like a silent installer or commercial support. OEM license Npcap can be redistributed with different products and libraries.
How to install Npcap?
If you are downloading it for the window 10 operating system it provides a smart screen as a security measure. You can check it by clicking run in the following window.
The Npcap requires access to the system functions and the installation requires administrative privileges with the screen in order to start the installation. If there is already an installed version then it will automatically be uninstalled.
After it Accepts Npcap license where you will set it with the provided installation options.
- This application supports the loopback traffic and it will also provide support for loopback adapter packet capture and also injection which will create a loopback adapter.
- Its drivers will access to the administrator only and also will secure access to the Npcap packet.
- It supports raw 802.11 traffic for the wireless adapters.
- The installation process of this application takes a little time to complete.
How to know print Npcap service status?
The Npcap installed in the window as a driver with a service. If you want to capture the packets the Npcap service should be working. This application is very easy to run.