Ethical Hacking Essentials Practice Test

In a network security context, what is a primary goal of ARP poisoning?

1. Enhancing data transfer speeds

2. Diverting network traffic

3. Monitoring user activity

4. Preventing unauthorized access

The correct answer is: Diverting network traffic

In the context of network security, the primary goal of ARP poisoning is indeed to divert network traffic. ARP poisoning, also known as ARP spoofing, is a technique used to manipulate the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) cache of devices on a local area network. By sending falsified ARP messages, an attacker can associate their own MAC address with the IP address of another device, such as a router or another host on the network. When this alteration occurs, any traffic intended for the legitimate device is instead sent to the attacker's device. This allows the attacker to intercept, modify, or even stop the data being transmitted, thereby controlling the flow of information across the network. The malicious redirection of data is a critical aspect of various attacks, including man-in-the-middle attacks, where the attacker can eavesdrop on the communication between two parties. While other choices may relate to various network security topics, they do not capture the specific purpose and impact of ARP poisoning as effectively. Enhancing data transfer speeds is not relevant in this context, nor is monitoring user activity or preventing unauthorized access the main goal of this particular attack vector. Instead, the focus is solely on the deliberate diversion of traffic, which is the essence of ARP