---
name: "pktanon"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "pktanon"
version: "2~git20160407.0.2bde4f2+dfsg-12+b1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/pktanon"
---

# pktanon(1)

profile-based traffic anonymizer

## NAME

**pktanon** - profile-based traffic anonymizer

## SYNOPSIS

```
       pktanon [-c profile_file] input_file output_file
       pktanon [options] [input_file] [output_file]
```

## DESCRIPTION

**Pktanon is a generic framework for network traffic anonymization.** **It aims at enabling wide-spread use of realistic network traces** **by providing fine-grained, profile-based anonymization.** **It can easily be configured by anonymization profiles, which are used to** **define how the network traffic should be made anonymous. Such profiles ensure** **an easy adaptation of the information actually being made anonymous to** **different environments or local legislation.**

## OPTIONS

**Configuration:**

- **-c, --config \<config\_file\>**

  **anonymization profile**

**Input Parameters:**

- **-s, --snaplen \<number\>**

  **read first snaplen bytes from each packet** **(for both captures and files) \[default:256\]**

- **-i, --interface \<interface\>**

  **capture packets from this interface**

- **-p, --no-promiscuous-mode**

  **do not set interface in promiscuous mode**

- **-e, --pcap-filter \<filter\>**

  **filter specification for libpcap**

- **-r, --use-raw-sockets**

  **use linux raw sockets instead of libpcap** **(-e option is not available)**

**Output Parameters:**

- **-U, --packet-buffered**

  **output (to file) is flushed every N packets**

- **-n, --network \<interface\>**

  **send packets to \<interface\> using libpcap-inject** **(EXPERIMENTAL)**

- **-o, --socket \<Addr:Port\>**

  **send packets to Addr:Port using sockets**

**(if '--socket' option is set:)**

- **-6, --use-ipv6**

  **Use IPv6**

- **-u, --use-udp**

  **Use UDP**

**Miscellaneous:**

- **-l, --use-libpcap**

  **use libpcap for file i/o**

- **-h, --help, --usage**

  **print this message and exit**

- **-q, --quiet**

  **Reduce output**

- **-v, --verbose**

  **Increase output**

## RUNNING PKTANON

**PktAnon needs a configuration file. Sample configuration files can be found** **in the profiles directory in the distribution. This directory also includes a** **sample network trace. Two included configuration files are** **’profile-identity.xml' and 'profile.xml'. The first configuration copies all** **the fields from original packets into anonymized packets except that packets** **content is cropped. The second configuration anonymizes mac addresses, ip** **addresses, and ports in the packets.**

**To anonymize sample trace using sample configuration files run:**

```
    pktanon -c /usr/share/doc/pktanon/examples/profiles/profile-identity.xml profiles/sample.pcap out.pcap
```

**or**

```
    pktanon -c /usr/share/doc/pktanon/examples/profiles/identity.xml profiles/sample.pcap out.pcap
```

**The output should look like this:**

```
    -----------------------------------------------
    pktanon --- profile-based traffic anonymization
    -----------------------------------------------
    initializing PktAnon,  configuration =  /usr/share/doc/pktanon/examples/profiles/profile-identity.xml
    istream: opened file profiles/sample.pcap
    ostream: opened output file out.pcap
    initialized
    complete
    statistics for input file 'profiles/sample.pcap'
      processed packets: 9
      errors in packets: 0
      elapsed time:      22us
      Mpps:              0.409
```

**The anonymized trace out.pcap will be created in the root directory of the distribution.** **If the output file already exists it will be trimmed and rewritten without any warning.**