Information Technology Specialist (ITS) Cybersecurity Practice Exam

Which type of attack involves an attacker associating their MAC address with the IP address of a legitimate server?

1. IP Spoofing

2. ARP Spoofing

3. MAC Flooding

4. Network Sniffing

The correct answer is: ARP Spoofing

The correct choice involves ARP Spoofing, which is a technique where an attacker sends falsified ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) messages over a local area network. By doing this, the attacker can associate their own MAC address with the IP address of a legitimate server on the network. This manipulation allows the attacker to intercept, modify, or even stop traffic intended for the legitimate server. ARP operates in a way that does not require authentication, making it vulnerable to such attacks. When the attacker successfully associates their MAC address with the server's IP address, they can mislead other devices on the network into sending data to them instead of the legitimate server. This allows the attacker to carry out various malicious activities, such as eavesdropping on communications, conducting man-in-the-middle attacks, or launching further attacks against the network. Understanding ARP Spoofing is crucial in cybersecurity because it highlights the importance of addressing network vulnerabilities and employing measures such as static ARP entries, ARP monitoring tools, or implementing Network Access Control (NAC) solutions to prevent unauthorized devices from connecting and manipulating network traffic.