There are always new tools coming out in the security realm, so this really isn’t anything new. The tool is called Ferret and it has the capability of capturing data being passed from 25 different protocols. Yeah, this may sound like geek-speak to some, but if people with malicious intent get a hold of this tool, they will easily be able to acquire things such as usernames and passwords.

Security researchers announced on Thursday the release of a network sniffing tool that conveniently categorizes the data leaked by laptops and other devices during routine operation.

The tool, dubbed Ferret, analyzes information that computers and other network devices regularly send out as a matter of course–a problem that Robert Graham, CEO of startup Errata Security, called data seepage. Ferret captures and analyzes the administrative parts of 25 different protocols–such as the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), the Common Unix Printer Service (CUPS), and Apple File Protocol (AFP)–to glean information about the target computer and its user.[more]

Tags: Wireless Security, Other