What tool can a security analyst use to capture network packets for further analysis?

The correct choice is Tcpdump because it is a command-line packet analyzer that allows users to capture and analyze network traffic. Security analysts commonly use Tcpdump to intercept and log traffic that passes over a network. This tool provides detailed information about the data packets being transmitted, including source and destination IP addresses, protocols, and payload data, which can then be analyzed to identify security incidents, troubleshoot network issues, or conduct forensic investigations.

Tcpdump is particularly effective because it can filter the captured data based on various criteria, enabling analysts to focus on specific types of traffic or issues of interest. Its ability to provide real-time packet capture or save packet data for later analysis makes it a versatile option for anyone working in cybersecurity and network management.

In contrast, other tools mentioned serve different purposes. For example, Netcat is used for reading from and writing to network connections but does not specialize in capturing packets. Vmstat provides information about system processes, memory, and CPU but does not analyze network traffic. Lastly, ssdeep is a tool for computing and comparing file hashes to detect similarities, which is unrelated to network packet analysis.