How is Snooping different from Eavesdropping ?

Snooping involves secretly capturing and analyzing network traffic using specialized software, replicating the packets to avoid detection. On the other hand, eavesdropping is an unauthorized, real-time interception of private communication over a network. Unlike snooping, which can store data for later analysis, eavesdropping occurs during active communication between entities. However, snooping is not always an attack, at times, it is also used by network administrators for troubleshooting various network issues. In contrast, eavesdropping is always malicious.