What does ARP stand for?
The correct answer and explanation is:
ARP stands for Address Resolution Protocol.
ARP is a communication protocol used in computer networks, specifically in IPv4 networks, to map a network address (such as an IP address) to a physical address (MAC address). The process allows devices to communicate with each other over a local area network (LAN). Every device on a network has both a unique IP address and a MAC address. While the IP address is used for routing data between networks, the MAC address is used to ensure that data is delivered to the correct physical device on the network.
When a device wants to send data to another device on the same network, it needs to know the recipient’s MAC address. However, the sender typically only knows the recipient’s IP address. In this situation, the sender broadcasts an ARP request to the entire network asking for the device that owns the particular IP address. The device with the matching IP address responds with an ARP reply, providing its MAC address. The sender can then use this MAC address to send the data.
ARP operates on the Data Link Layer (Layer 2) of the OSI model, and it is typically used in Ethernet networks. It is essential for efficient data transfer in IPv4-based networks but is not used in IPv6 networks, which rely on a different protocol called Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP).
One potential security issue with ARP is ARP spoofing or ARP poisoning, where a malicious device sends falsified ARP messages onto the network, associating its MAC address with the IP address of another device (such as the gateway). This can lead to man-in-the-middle attacks, where the attacker can intercept, modify, or even stop the communication between the devices on the network. To protect against such attacks, network administrators can implement security measures like static ARP tables or use ARP inspection techniques.