Final answer:
DNS poisoning is a method where threat actors modify the host file on a PC to misdirect DNS queries. This can be demonstrated on a Windows VM and a Linux VM using specific steps.
Step-by-step explanation:
DNS (Domain Name System) poisoning is a method employed by threat actors to redirect domain name queries to malicious IP addresses. One way to achieve this is by modifying the host file on a PC. The host file is a text file that maps IP addresses to domain names, allowing the operating system to resolve domain names to the corresponding IP addresses without relying on DNS servers. By adding false information to the host file, threat actors can misdirect users trying to access a specific domain.
To demonstrate this, you can follow the steps provided. First, find the actual IP address for mga.edu using a command prompt or terminal command like 'nslookup mga.edu'. Then, you can edit the host file on a Windows VM by mapping mga.edu to a different IP address, such as 172.16.1.1. Save the changes and try to ping mga.edu from the command line again. You should see that the ping now points to the false IP address instead of the actual one.
Similarly, you can perform the same experiment on a Linux VM by editing the host file to map mga.edu to a different IP address, such as 172.16.1.2. After saving the changes, ping the domain from the command line, and you will observe the misdirection caused by the modified host file.