ISC2 CC Network Security Practice Question
An attacker sends a forged ARP response to a switch, associating the attacker's MAC address with the IP address of the default gateway. The switch updates its ARP cache accordingly. This is an example of which attack?
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
✓
ARP spoofing
ARP spoofing (or ARP poisoning) involves sending fake ARP messages to associate the attacker's MAC with a legitimate IP, enabling man-in-the-middle attacks.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
MAC flooding
Why it's wrong here
MAC flooding overwhelms switch memory with fake MAC addresses.
- ✗
DNS spoofing
Why it's wrong here
DNS spoofing corrupts DNS responses.
- ✗
IP spoofing
Why it's wrong here
IP spoofing forges source IP in packets, not ARP.
- ✓
ARP spoofing
Why this is correct
Forged ARP replies redirect traffic to the attacker.
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
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Incident Response and Management
Key term
MAC
MAC (Media Access Control) is a unique hardware identifier assigned to network interfaces for communication on a local network segment.
Key term
ARP poisoning
ARP poisoning is a network attack where an attacker sends fake Address Resolution Protocol messages to link their MAC address with a legitimate IP address, enabling them to intercept, modify, or stop data on a local network.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CC practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 CC exam.