In a broader sense, the phrase "sniffing" refers to the process of investigating something discreetly in order to discover private information. Sniffing is a term that is used in the context of information security and refers to the process of tapping into traffic or redirecting traffic to a target so that it may be observed, analysed, and collected. Sniffing is often carried out with the goals of analysing the utilisation of the network, resolving problems with the network, and monitoring sessions for the purposes of development and testing.