ISC2 CC Network Security Practice Question
An attacker sends forged ARP messages to associate their MAC address with the IP address of a legitimate server. This allows the attacker to intercept traffic intended for that server. What is this 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 replies to associate the attacker's MAC with a victim's 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.
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DNS poisoning
Why it's wrong here
DNS poisoning corrupts resolver cache records, redirecting name lookups to a malicious IP; it does not manipulate MAC-to-IP mappings within a local subnet. It is tempting because both attacks redirect victim traffic, and DNS poisoning would be correct if the attacker altered domain resolution rather than forging ARP replies to hijack the server's IP at layer two.
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MAC flooding
Why it's wrong here
MAC flooding exhausts a switch's CAM table by flooding frames with bogus source MACs, forcing it to broadcast traffic; it does not forge ARP replies tying an attacker's MAC to a server's IP. ARP cache poisoning is the attack described here.
- ✓
ARP spoofing
Why this is correct
ARP spoofing works by sending forged ARP replies that bind the attacker's MAC address to a legitimate server's IP, poisoning victims' ARP caches so traffic is redirected through the attacker for interception. This directly satisfies the stem's constraint of impersonating the server's IP-to-MAC mapping.
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IP spoofing
Why it's wrong here
IP spoofing forges the source address in IP packet headers, typically to bypass trust or hide origin, but it does not rewrite the MAC-to-IP binding in victims' ARP caches. The scenario describes ARP cache poisoning, which operates at layer 2.
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
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.
Key term
MAC
MAC (Media Access Control) is a unique hardware identifier assigned to network interfaces for communication on a local network segment.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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