ARP Poisoning
Definition
Sending forged ARP replies on a LAN to bind an attacker's MAC to a victim's IP in other hosts' ARP caches, redirecting their Layer 2 traffic. Scope is the local broadcast domain only.
- Method
- Forged ARP replies on a LAN
- Effect
- Binds attacker MAC to victim IP in others' ARP caches
- Result
- Redirects Layer 2 traffic
- Scope limit
- Local broadcast domain only
Common questions
Why is ARP poisoning limited to the local broadcast domain and not effective across the internet?+
ARP operates only at Layer 2 within a single local network segment, so forged replies can only redirect traffic among hosts sharing that broadcast domain; routers do not forward ARP traffic between separate networks, which caps the attack's reach to the attacker's own subnet.
What is ARP poisoning typically used to enable in an attack chain?+
It is most often a step toward a man-in-the-middle position, letting the attacker intercept, inspect, or modify traffic between two victim hosts, such as a workstation and its default gateway, before forwarding it on so the interception goes unnoticed.
Related terms
- CVE / KEV
- Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (MITRE-assigned identifier per public flaw). Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue (CISA), which lists CVEs proven to be actively exploited...
- DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service)
- Service-denial attack sourced from many hosts at once. Volumetric (saturate bandwidth), protocol (exhaust state on stateful boxes), or application-layer (exhaust application resources).
- MITM (Man-in-the-Middle)
- Any attack in which the adversary sits between two endpoints and reads or modifies traffic. ARP poisoning, rogue access points, BGP hijacks...
- OWASP Top 10
- Open Worldwide Application Security Project's ranking of the most common web application security risks, refreshed every 3 to 4 years. Current edition:...
- Packet Sniffing
- Capture of network traffic from a wired tap, a switch SPAN port, or a Wi-Fi monitor-mode radio. Passive sniffing reads; active sniffing...