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What’s dumpcap.exe (Dumpcap)? Is it safe or a virus?

Dumpcap.exe is a command-line utility that comes with Wireshark, a popular network protocol analyzer. It is specifically designed for efficient network packet capturing and plays a behind-the-scenes role in Wireshark and TShark. Dumpcap's primary function is to capture and save network traffic in a capture file format (.pcap or .pcapng) for analysis while ensuring minimal performance impact on the system. It supports features like capture filtering, ring-buffer file management, and splitting captures into multiple files based on size or time duration. As a lightweight and focused tool, Dumpcap is essential for reliable and high-performance packet data acquisition.

Researched by Carl @ SpyShelter Labs

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More about dumpcap.exe on WINDOWS

Who makes dumpcap.exe (Dumpcap)?

We’ve found Wireshark Foundation should be the publisher of dumpcap.exe.

How do we know? Our SpyShelter cybersecurity labs focuses on monitoring different types of Windows PC executables and their behaviors for our popular SpyShelter Antispyware software. Learn more about us, and how our cybersecurity team studies Windows PC executables/processes.

What does it mean if someone is the publisher of a PC .exe (executable or process)?

The publisher of an executable is the entity responsible for its distribution and authenticity. Most processes/executables on your PC should be signed. The signature on the executable should have been verified through a third party whose job it is to make sure the entity is who it says it is. Find an unsigned executable? You should consider scanning any completely unsigned .exe on your PC.

Last updated: March 12, 2025

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Why should you trust us?

Our team at SpyShelter has been studying Windows PC executables for over 15 years, to help fight against spyware, malware, and other threats. SpyShelter has been featured in publications like The Register, PC Magazine, and many others. Now we’re working to share free, actionable, and easy to understand information about Windows executables (processes) with the world, to help as many people as possible keep their devices safe. Learn more about us on our "About SpyShelter” page.

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