Which of the following network attacks refers to a process in which an attacker changes his or her IP address so that he or she appears to be someone else?

Which of the following network attacks refers to a process in which an attacker changes his or her IP address so that he or she appears to be someone else?

• A. IP address spoofing
• B. Man-in-the-middle attack
• C. Denial of Service attack
• D. Session sniffing

Answer: (A)

Masquerading as another host by forging the source IP address is IP address spoofing. In this attack, the attacker crafts packets with a fake source IP so the destination thinks the traffic comes from that other machine. This can help hide the attacker’s true identity, evade simple IP-based controls, or enable techniques like referral or amplification attacks. It’s different from a man-in-the-middle, which aims to sit between two parties to observe or alter traffic without necessarily changing the apparent origin. It’s also not about exhausting a service (Denial of Service) or just listening to traffic (session sniffing).

Masquerading as another host by forging the source IP address is IP address spoofing. In this attack, the attacker crafts packets with a fake source IP so the destination thinks the traffic comes from that other machine. This can help hide the attacker’s true identity, evade simple IP-based controls, or enable techniques like referral or amplification attacks. It’s different from a man-in-the-middle, which aims to sit between two parties to observe or alter traffic without necessarily changing the apparent origin. It’s also not about exhausting a service (Denial of Service) or just listening to traffic (session sniffing).