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What is the basic idea behind ARP poisoning?

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Final answer:

ARP poisoning involves manipulating the Address Resolution Protocol to intercept and modify network traffic. It is used for eavesdropping or launching man-in-the-middle attacks.

Step-by-step explanation:

The basic idea behind ARP poisoning, also known as ARP spoofing, is to manipulate the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) on a network to associate the attacker's MAC address with the IP address of another host.


This allows the attacker to intercept, modify, or redirect network traffic meant for the target host.



Here is a step-by-step explanation:

  1. The attacker sends fake ARP messages to the target host, claiming to have the IP address of another host.

  2. The target host updates its ARP cache with the attacker's MAC address for the fake IP address.

  3. As a result, all traffic meant for the fake IP address is sent to the attacker instead of the actual host.

  4. The attacker can then analyze or modify the traffic as desired before sending it to the intended destination.

ARP poisoning can be used for malicious purposes, such as eavesdropping on network communication or launching man-in-the-middle attacks.

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