by Gerald Combs & Sheri Najafi | Sun Jun 01 2025
In the early days of Wireshark it quickly became apparent that people were using it for important work – people needed to troubleshoot networks, educate future network engineers, and develop networking software and protocols and they were using Wireshark to do all of those things and more. It also became apparent that even though Wireshark does a great job of showing you what’s happening on your network, that’s only part of the job. In order to use it effectively, you need to know how all of that information applies to your network.
Over the years we’ve worked hard to ensure that the Wireshark community has access to the help and educational resources they need to get the most out of Wireshark, including hosting the SharkFest developer and user conference to creating the Wireshark Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to educating our community.
On behalf of the foundation we’re excited to announce a new certification program: the Wireshark Certified Analyst. The WCA-101 is a comprehensive exam and was designed by experts in the Wireshark community. It tests your ability to use Wireshark, but more importantly it tests your fundamental knowledge of common network protocols and ability to analyze and troubleshoot complex networking issues.
If you’re a network engineer, becoming a Wireshark Certified Analyst can help you advance your career. It can also help you fill in any knowledge or skills gaps you might have. If you’re a hiring manager, the WCA can help you identify candidates who can quickly and effectively identify and solve networking issues.
You can find more information about the WCA, including a complete list of objectives and take the exam itself at https://www.wireshark.org/certifications
Finally, we’d like to thank Chris Greer and Ross Bagurdes for all of the hard work they’ve done over the past year to create the exam.
Full press release below:
June 2, 2025 — The Wireshark Foundation, the nonprofit steward of WIRESHARK, the world’s most widely used network protocol analyzer, proudly announces the launch of the Wireshark Certified Analyst (WCA-101) certification. This rigorous new exam is designed to formally recognize engineers who demonstrate professional-level proficiency in network protocol analysis and advanced troubleshooting using Wireshark.
Targeted toward IT Operations, Security Operations, and Development teams, the WCA-101 certification is ideal for individuals who already use Wireshark in their environment, or those ready to integrate it to elevate operational visibility and incident response capabilities.
The WCA-101 is a challenging engineering exam. Designed by Wireshark developers, protocol experts, and senior network engineers, it evaluates a candidate’s ability to:
Passing candidates will demonstrate skills above the level of a typical CCNA-certified engineer, validating their ability to conduct root-cause analysis and support enterprise-level network diagnostics.
“Wireshark has long been the go-to tool for network engineers,” said Gerald Combs, Wireshark creator. “This certification creates a formal pathway for professionals to prove and advance their expertise with the application and is right in line with the Wireshark Foundation’s mission to help people understand their networks.”
The Wireshark Foundation continues to support the open-source community and improve network analysis education worldwide. The WCA-101 certification complements this mission by giving employers a meaningful way to assess technical capability in a critical tool that remains free thanks to the support of generous donors and sponsors.
For more information, exam registration, and a complete list of learning objectives, visit: wireshark.org/certifications