A particular kind of cyberattack known as “spoofing” occurs when an individual tries to utilize a computer, device, or network to deceive other computer networks by posing as an authentic organization. It’s one of the techniques that hackers use to get into computers and start Denial-of-Service (DoS) assaults, convert them into zombies (computers taken over for malevolent purposes), or mine them for private information. IP spoofing is the most prevalent kind of spoofing among the several varieties.

How to define spoofing?

The process of creating Internet Protocol (IP) packets with a fictitious source IP address in order to mimic another computer system is known as IP spoofing, or IP address spoofing. Through IP spoofing, attackers can commit destructive acts, frequently undetected. This could involve crashing your server, stealing your data, or infecting your device with malware.

How does IT spoofing is carried out?

Let’s begin with some background information: When data is conveyed over the internet, it is first divided into several packets, which are then sent separately and finally put back together. Information about the packet, such as the source and destination IP addresses, are contained in the IP (Internet Protocol) header of every packet.

In order to trick the receiving computer system into accepting a packet that appears to be from a trusted source—like another computer on a valid network—a hacker utilizes tools to change the source address in the packet header. There are no outward indications of tampering because this happens at the network level.

IP spoofing can be used to get around IP address authentication in systems that depend on trust connections between networked computers. This idea, commonly known as the “castle and moat” defense, holds that people inside the “castle” are trustworthy while those outside the network are viewed as threats. It is simple for a hacker to investigate the system once they have gained access to the network. Due to this vulnerability, more secure security techniques, including multi-step authentication, are gradually replacing the use of simple authentication as a defense method.

IP spoofing can occasionally be used for legal purposes, even though hackers frequently use it to commit online fraud and identity theft or to take down business websites and servers. For instance, companies may test websites using IP spoofing before launching them. In order to evaluate whether the website can manage a high frequency of logins without being overloaded, thousands of virtual users would need to be created. When done this way, IP spoofing is legal.

Common types of spoof attacks:-

1. Distributed denial of services (DDOS):- Hackers use spoof IP addresses to flood computer servers with data packets in a denial-of-service attack. This enables them to hide their identity while slowing down or crashing a network or website with high internet traffic volumes.
2. Botnet Camouflage:- By disguising botnets, IP spoofing can be used to get access to computers. A botnet is a collection of computers under the control of a single hacker. Every computer is powered by a specialized bot that performs malicious actions on the attacker’s behalf. Because each bot in the network has a spoof IP address, IP spoofing enables the attacker to conceal the botnet and makes it difficult to identify the malicious actor. This can increase the attack’s duration in order to maximize the reward.
3. Man in the middle attack:- A “man-in-the-middle” attack is another malicious IP spoofing technique that disrupts connection between two computers, modifies the packets, and sends them without the original sender or recipient realizing it. Attackers can monitor every part of a communication if they manage to fake an IP address and gain access to personal communication accounts. Information can then be stolen, visitors can be redirected to fraudulent websites, and more. Man-in-the-middle attacks can be more profitable than others since hackers amass a plethora of private data over time that they can utilize or sell.