In a MAC address spoofing attack, what error can occur regarding the switch's learning process?

In a MAC address spoofing attack, what error can occur regarding the switch's learning process?

• A. It can map incorrect MAC to correct IP addresses
• B. It may learn no addresses at all
• C. It can wrongly associate MAC addresses
• D. It will only learn from authorized MAC addresses

Answer: (C)

In a MAC address spoofing attack, the key issue is that the switch learns and associates incorrect MAC addresses within its MAC address table. When an attacker changes their device's MAC address to mimic that of another legitimate device, the switch can mistakenly associate the attacker's MAC address with the port where the attacker's device is connected. As a result, if the switch receives frames from the spoofed MAC address, it will forward packets intended for the legitimate device to the attacker's device. This can lead to serious security issues, including data interception or denial of service for the legitimate user. The switch's process of dynamically learning MAC addresses essentially becomes skewed, resulting in the association of incorrect MAC addresses with the correct ports. Correctly understanding this concept is essential for addressing the vulnerabilities that can arise from MAC address spoofing and implementing measures such as port security or dynamic ARP inspection to mitigate these types of attacks.

In a MAC address spoofing attack, the key issue is that the switch learns and associates incorrect MAC addresses within its MAC address table. When an attacker changes their device's MAC address to mimic that of another legitimate device, the switch can mistakenly associate the attacker's MAC address with the port where the attacker's device is connected.

As a result, if the switch receives frames from the spoofed MAC address, it will forward packets intended for the legitimate device to the attacker's device. This can lead to serious security issues, including data interception or denial of service for the legitimate user. The switch's process of dynamically learning MAC addresses essentially becomes skewed, resulting in the association of incorrect MAC addresses with the correct ports.

Correctly understanding this concept is essential for addressing the vulnerabilities that can arise from MAC address spoofing and implementing measures such as port security or dynamic ARP inspection to mitigate these types of attacks.