Ethical Hacking Essentials Practice Test

What is the primary goal of ARP poisoning?

1. To disrupt DNS queries

2. To overburden a network switch

3. To intercept communications between devices

4. To hijack DHCP leases

The correct answer is: To intercept communications between devices

The primary goal of ARP poisoning is to intercept communications between devices on a local area network. ARP, or Address Resolution Protocol, is used to map IP addresses to MAC addresses, allowing devices to communicate with each other over a network. In ARP poisoning, an attacker sends falsified ARP messages onto the network. These messages associate the attacker's MAC address with the IP address of a legitimate device, effectively tricking devices into sending their traffic to the attacker instead of the intended recipient. This interception enables the attacker to monitor, modify, or disrupt the communications between the devices, leading to potential data breaches or further exploits. Understanding this attack is crucial in ethical hacking and network security as it highlights the importance of network monitoring and protected ARP mechanisms to safeguard against such tactics. In relation to the other options, while DNS disruption, network switch overloading, and DHCP lease hijacking are all forms of attacks in network exploitation, they do not directly relate to the specific mechanics and objectives of ARP poisoning, which revolves exclusively around manipulating the ARP protocol for intercepting data.