Address Resolution Protocol Spoofing

What Does Address Resolution Protocol Spoofing Mean?

Address resolution protocol (ARP) spoofing is a technique that causes the redirection of network traffic to a hacker. Spoofing may denote sniffing out LAN addresses on both wired and wireless LAN networks. The concept behind this type of spoofing is to send bogus ARP communications to Ethernet LANs and the attack may modify traffic or block it altogether.

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ARP spoofing is also known as an ARP redirect.

Techopedia Explains Address Resolution Protocol Spoofing

There are three types of ARP spoofing:

  • Man-In-The-Middle Attacks: These involve traffic modifications.
  • Denial-of-Service Attacks: These involve a fake MAC address attached to the user’s default gateway.
  • Passive Sniffing: This happens when traffic is sent to the user’s default gateway through their IP address.

There also are useful, non-malicious usages for ARP spoofing, such as hotels utilizing the technique to allow guests to access the Internet from their laptops.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…