MITRE ATT&CKsub-technique

T1557.002 ARP Cache Poisoning

Published 2020-10-15 Modified 2025-10-24 Official page ↗
Domain
enterprise
Tactics
Credential Access, Collection
Platforms
Linux, Windows, macOS
Version
1.1
Created
2020-10-15

Description

Adversaries may poison Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) caches to position themselves between the communication of two or more networked devices. This activity may be used to enable follow-on behaviors such as Network Sniffing or Transmitted Data Manipulation. The ARP protocol is used to resolve IPv4 addresses to link layer addresses, such as a media access control (MAC) address. Devices in a local network segment communicate with each other by using link layer addresses. If a networked device does not have the link layer address of a particular networked device, it may send out a broadcast ARP request to the local network to translate the IP address to a MAC address. The device with the associated IP address directly replies with its MAC address. The networked device that made the ARP request will then use as well as store that information in its ARP cache. An adversary may passively wait for an ARP request to poison the ARP cache of the requesting device. The adversary may reply with their MAC address, thus deceiving the victim by making them believe that they are communicating with the intended networked device. For the adversary to poison the ARP cache, their reply must be faster than the one made by the legitimate IP address owner. Adversaries may also send a gratuitous ARP reply that maliciously announces the ownership of a particular IP address to all the devices in the local network segment. The ARP protocol is stateless and does not require authentication. Therefore, devices may wrongly add or update the MAC address of the IP address in their ARP cache. Adversaries may use ARP cache poisoning as a means to intercept network traffic. This activity may be used to collect and/or relay data such as credentials, especially those sent over an insecure, unencrypted protocol.

Related

Subtechnique of · MITRE ATT&CK (1)

  • T1557 Adversary-in-the-Middle technique

Tactic · MITRE ATT&CK (2)

Referenced by MITRE ATT&CK · mitigates (6)

  • M1035 Limit Access to Resource Over Network mitigation
  • M1037 Filter Network Traffic mitigation
  • M1041 Encrypt Sensitive Information mitigation
  • M1042 Disable or Remove Feature or Program mitigation
  • M1031 Network Intrusion Prevention mitigation
  • M1017 User Training mitigation

Referenced by MITRE ATT&CK · uses (2)

Referenced by CAPEC · att&ck technique (1)

Referenced by Compliance · mitigates (25)

  • CIS-13.8 Deploy a Network Intrusion Prevention Solution CIS Safeguard v8.1
  • CIS-4.4 Implement and Manage a Firewall on Servers CIS Safeguard v8.1
  • CIS-4.6 Securely Manage Enterprise Assets and Software CIS Safeguard v8.1
  • NIST-AC-16 Security and Privacy Attributes NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-AC-17 Remote Access NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-AC-18 Wireless Access NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-AC-19 Access Control for Mobile Devices NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-AC-20 Use of External Systems NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-AC-3 Access Enforcement NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-AC-4 Information Flow Enforcement NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-CA-7 Continuous Monitoring NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-CM-2 Baseline Configuration NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-CM-6 Configuration Settings NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-CM-7 Least Functionality NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-CM-8 System Component Inventory NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SC-23 Session Authenticity NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SC-4 Information in Shared System Resources NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SC-7 Boundary Protection NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SC-8 Transmission Confidentiality and Integrity NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SI-10 Information Input Validation NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SI-12 Information Management and Retention NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SI-15 Information Output Filtering NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SI-3 Malicious Code Protection NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SI-4 System Monitoring NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SI-7 Software, Firmware, and Information Integrity NIST 800-53 control

References