The act of listening in on a transaction, communication, data transfer or conversation. Eavesdropping can be used to refer to both data packet capture on a network link (also known as sniffing or packet capture) and to audio recording using a microphone (or listening with ears).
Eavesdropping (Wikipedia)
Eavesdropping is the act of secretly or stealthily listening to the private conversation or communications of others without their consent in order to gather information. The practice is widely regarded as unethical, and in many jurisdictions is illegal.
