Question

While analyzing a suspicious packet in Wireshark, an analyst notices an inbound packet from an external host with an IP header Time-to-Live (TTL) value of 45. The analyst knows the packet has traversed roughly 19 routers before reaching the sensor. In the context of intrusion analysis, what is the MOST useful inference the analyst can draw from interpreting this TTL field?

Accepted Answer

The originating host likely used a default initial TTL of 64, suggesting a Linux/Unix-based operating system

Answer

The TTL of 45 confirms the packet payload has been encrypted in transit

Answer

The TTL value proves the packet is a spoofed SYN flood originating from a Windows host

Answer

The low TTL indicates the packet was fragmented and must be reassembled before inspection