What are the differences between WinPcap 3.0 and WinPcap 4.0?

WinPcap (Windows Packet Capture) is an open-source network packet capture library that enables applications to capture packets and analyze network traffic on the Windows operating system. There are multiple versions of WinPcap, including WinPcap 3.0 and WinPcap 4.0. Here are some differences between them:

1. Supported operating systems: WinPcap 3.0 is compatible with Windows 2000 and Windows XP, while WinPcap 4.0 is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.
2. Supported architectures: WinPcap 3.0 only supports 32-bit architecture, while WinPcap 4.0 supports both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures.
3. Driver Model: WinPcap 3.0 utilizes the NPF driver model, while WinPcap 4.0 uses the Npcap driver model. Npcap is an upgraded version of WinPcap, providing additional features and performance improvements.
4. Supported features: WinPcap 3.0 provides basic packet capture functionality, while WinPcap 4.0 adds more advanced features such as remote packet capture, packet injection, and packet filtering.
5. Developer support: WinPcap 3.0 is maintained and supported by Riverbed Technology, while WinPcap 4.0 is maintained and supported by the Nmap project team.

In general, WinPcap 4.0 offers broader operating system support, more features, and better performance compared to WinPcap 3.0. Therefore, if possible, it is recommended to use WinPcap 4.0.