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Networking Intermediate

What is ARP (Address Resolution Protocol)?

A protocol that maps IP addresses to physical MAC addresses on a local network segment.

ARP resolves IP addresses to MAC addresses, which are needed for actual data transmission on local networks. When a device needs to communicate with another on the same subnet, it broadcasts an ARP request asking "Who has IP x.x.x.x?"

The device with that IP responds with its MAC address. Results are cached in the ARP table. ARP spoofing is a security attack where a malicious device sends fake ARP responses to redirect traffic.

Related Terms

Firewall
A network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing traffic based on predetermined rules.
Network Monitoring
The practice of continuously observing network infrastructure to detect failures, performance degradation, and security threats.
Traceroute
A network diagnostic tool that shows the path packets take from source to destination, listing each hop along the way.
DHCP
A protocol that automatically assigns IP addresses and network configuration to devices on a network.
SSL/TLS Certificate
A digital certificate that authenticates a website identity and enables encrypted HTTPS connections.
VLAN (Virtual LAN)
A logical grouping of network devices that creates separate broadcast domains on the same physical network infrastructure.
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