Patent ID: 8082586

Claim:
A computer implemented method for extracting a response from a snooping device in a computer network, the computer implemented method comprising: generating, by a packet source device in the computer network, an echo request packet comprising a source hardware address and a source network protocol address of the packet source device, a bogus destination hardware address, and a valid destination network protocol address to elicit an echo response from the snooping device; sending, by the packet source device, the echo request packet to one or more devices in the computer network, wherein the snooping device ignores the bogus destination hardware address in the echo request packet, processes the echo request packet, and sends an echo response packet to the packet source device, and wherein a non-snooping device in the one or more devices discards the echo request packet based on the bogus destination hardware address; and responsive to receiving the echo response packet at the packet source device in the computer network, identifying, by the packet source device, a presence of a snooping device among the one or more devices.