ARP protocol attacks and defenses
Camouflage and Skullduggery
© Lead Image © Andre Zhak, 123RF.com
ARP spoofing can be used to initiate denial-of-service attacks, network hijacking, and man-in-the-middle attacks on the Intranet. We look at how to prevent these incursions.
Companies spend huge amounts of money to protect themselves from attacks on the Internet, but the security of the intranet it is not very advanced in most small to medium-sized enterprises. The credo is often: Internal users will not attack their own. The reality is rather different, which is reason enough to take a look at one of the most common attacks and defense options on internal networks: ARP Spoofing.
On the intranet, unlike the Internet, addressing is not based on Layer 3 (IP), but on Layer 2 (Ethernet). A packet identifies its target by reference to the MAC address. To ensure that resolution between IPv4 addresses and MAC addresses runs smoothly, ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) or its counterpart RARP (reverse ARP) are used.
If computer A wants to communicate with computer B, A sends an ARP request to the broadcast address to discover the MAC address of B. Computer B responds with an ARP reply. In a TCP dump, this kind of conversation looks like Listing 1.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
System76 Refreshes the Lemur Laptop
If you're looking for a laptop with tons of power and battery, look no further than the latest iteration of the System76 Lemur Pro.
-
More than 43 Million Lines of Code in Linux Kernel 7.2
Using the cloc utility, Michael Larabel of Phoronix discovered that Linux kernel 7.2 has over 43 million lines of code.
-
Kubuntu Focus Goes Ultra
The Kubuntu Focus team has upped the performance ante of its M2 and Zr laptops with the latest, greatest CPUs from Intel.
-
Linux Gamers May Soon See Less Mouse Lag in KDE Plasma
Gamers using KDE’s Plasma desktop have been suffering from a slight input delay in mouse movement that could lead to getting fragged.
-
Three Lines of Code Improve Linux Storage Performance
A developer changed three lines of code, giving Linux storage performance a 5% bump.
-
AUR Hit Again with Malicious Packages
Once again the Arch User Repository is plagued by a high volume of malicious packages.
-
Alpine Linux 3.24 Features Fresh Desktops and a Newer Kernel
If you're a fan of Alpine Linux, it's time to upgrade because the latest version has been released with KDE Plasma 6.6, Gnome 50, and Linux kernel 6.18 LTS.
-
EU Open Source Strategy Plays Key Role in Tech Sovereignty Package
Comprehensive measures adopted by the European Commission aim to reduce dependency on non-EU countries.
-
Linux Foundation Report Indicates AI Driving Tech Hiring
Within growing security and skills gaps, AI has been found to be a positive driving force behind tech hiring trends in Europe.
-
United Nations Open Source Portal Goes Live
A new open source portal seeks to coordinate and scale open source efforts across the United Nations system.