Ethical Hacking Essentials Practice Test

What does DNS poisoning achieve?

1. Redirecting users to legitimate servers

2. Overloading the switch's MAC table

3. Redirecting victims to a malicious server

4. Blocking IP addresses from DHCP servers

The correct answer is: Redirecting victims to a malicious server

DNS poisoning, also known as DNS spoofing, is a cyber attack that manipulates the Domain Name System (DNS) to redirect users to a malicious server, rather than the intended legitimate server. By corrupting the DNS cache with incorrect entries, the attacker can control where users are sent when they try to access a website, making it appear as though they are visiting a legitimate site when in fact they are not. This technique can be used for various malicious purposes such as phishing, spreading malware, or stealing sensitive information. In contrast, redirecting users to legitimate servers would not constitute poisoning, as that would maintain the integrity of the DNS. Overloading the switch's MAC table and blocking IP addresses from DHCP servers are network-related issues, but they do not relate to the manipulation of DNS entries to mislead users. Thus, redirecting victims to a malicious server is the essence of what DNS poisoning aims to achieve.