Promiscuous Mode
nounverified· unreviewed·updated Aug 30, 2026
A configuration setting for a network interface card that causes it to accept all incoming packets that it sees, regardless of their intended destinations.
MWENISTIR 7298: Glossary of Key Information Security Terms, Revision 2
Senses
SANS Glossary of Security Terms
When a machine reads all packets off the network, regardless of who they are addressed to. This is used by network administrators to diagnose network problems, but also by unsavory characters who are trying to eavesdrop on network traffic (which might contain passwords or other information).
Classifications
Entity Type
Control0%rule-basedmulti_axis_classifier_low_confidence.v1
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Sensitivity
—85%llm-generatedllm:claude-haiku-4-5
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Information Class
—90%llm-generatedllm:claude-haiku-4-5
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Variants
- plural
- Promiscuous Modes
- possessive
- Promiscuous Mode's
- pluralpossessive
- Promiscuous Modes'