CEH Practice Question: Malware, Social Engineering and Network Attacks
Which of the following is a tool commonly used for MAC flooding attacks to force a switch into fail-open mode, allowing sniffing of all traffic on the network?
⚠ Common exam trap
EC-CEH often tests the distinction between MAC flooding (which targets the switch's CAM table) and ARP poisoning (which targets host ARP caches), so candidates frequently confuse Ettercap (an ARP poisoning tool) with macof (the correct MAC flooding tool).
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
macof
macof is a tool specifically designed to perform MAC flooding attacks. It generates thousands of random MAC addresses, overwhelming the switch's Content Addressable Memory (CAM) table. When the CAM table is full, the switch enters fail-open mode (hub mode), forwarding all frames out of all ports, which allows an attacker to sniff traffic that would normally be isolated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Ettercap
Why it's wrong here
Ettercap performs ARP spoofing and man-in-the-middle interception, not CAM-table overflow. It is tempting because it is a classic switch-targeting attack tool, and it would be correct for poisoning ARP caches to redirect traffic rather than forcing fail-open.
- ✓
macof
Why this is correct
macof floods the switch's CAM table with spoofed source MAC addresses, exhausting its capacity and forcing fail-open behaviour that broadcasts frames to all ports. This lets an attacker capture traffic that would normally be switched only to its intended destination.
- ✗
Nmap
Why it's wrong here
Nmap performs port scanning, service and host discovery; it sends no spoofed MAC flood to exhaust the CAM table. It is tempting because it is the default reconnaissance tool, and it would be correct for enumerating live hosts and open ports before an attack.
- ✗
Wireshark
Why it's wrong here
Wireshark captures and analyses frames passively; it cannot generate the flood of spoofed source MAC addresses that overflows a switch's CAM table. It is tempting because it is the standard sniffer used to observe traffic once fail-open has already occurred.
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
Go deeper
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CEH practice question is part of Courseiva's free EC-Council certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CEH exam.