The IP Spoofing is a spoofing technique used by cybercriminals to manipulate the IP address of data packets into believing that they come from a trusted source.
Its origin dates back to the 90s, when the use of the Internet as we know it today became widespread. Computer security experts began to detect vulnerabilities in systems based on the TCP/IP protocol, and realized that it was actually possible to manipulate IP addresses as a result of an inherent weakness in the design of that protocol.
While it is true that this method is used in certain security testing environments, its malicious use has become one of the major cyber threats. What the attacker does is hide his true identity and tries to divert trust towards malicious traffic in order to steal your information, launch attacks or spread malware.
How an IP Spoofing attack is carried out
In order for an IP Spoofing attack to be carried out, the following technical process must exist:
-Sending IP packets. Data is transmitted over the Internet in very small fragments. Each of them has a header that holds important information such as the source IP address (which is where the data itself comes from) or the destination IP address (which is where the data in question is sent).
-Alteration of the source IP address. At this point, the attacker collects a packet and manually modifies the source IP address in the header. That is, instead of reflecting the true IP (which could even be blocked or monitored), it spoofs the address to make it appear that the packet has come from another trusted or legitimate device.
-Deception to the recipient. The system or device that receives the attacker’s spoofed packet believes it comes from a secure source because the IP address actually matches a device it trusts or does not identify as suspicious. Consequently, it accepts the data package without any complications.
-Execution of the attack. TUsing this false appearance that it is a legitimate shipment, the cybercriminal moves on to his next step and that is to launch a DDoS attack. The forged packets are responsible for saturating the server with requests until it collapses due to the traffic overload.
Likewise, he can commit a man in the middle. This implies that the attacker intercepts and manipulates what would be the communication between two devices and as an affected person you will not find out anything.
Because data packets contain fake IP addresses, it is too difficult to actually track where the attack is coming from. In fact, security systems that largely depend on IP address verification do not have the ability to easily detect that they are being deceived, something that allows the attack in question to be carried out successfully.
How to protect yourself from IP Spoofing
There are several actions you can take to considerably reduce the chances that an attacker can spoof the identity of a device within your network.
-Install a firewall. So that you can protect yourself from an IP Spoofing attack, it is advisable to install a robust firewall. This way you will be able to constantly monitor your network traffic, you will be able to analyze and even block those packets that may come from IP addresses that are suspicious or unauthorized.
If you have a firewall and it is well configured, you will be able to filter not only the traffic that enters your network, but also the traffic that leaves. In fact, it is a good way to mitigate the risk of suffering from possible impersonation attempts.
-Implement IPsec (Internet Security Protocol). This is a protocol that is not only responsible for encrypting, but also allows you to authenticate all data packets so that only your network accepts those that are legitimate.
While it is true that to configure it correctly it is necessary to have technical knowledge, it is a quite effective way that will help you avoid manipulation or falsification of packages.
-Update systems. It is essential that you have all your systems – routers, switches and other network devices – updated so that there are no security gaps that give way to IP Spoofing. The same with the software you use, you must make sure that it is not outdated.
-Use a VPN. You can also use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to encrypt all network traffic and thus protect it from IP Spoofing attacks.
-Filtering of outgoing packets. You can apply outgoing packet filtering on your network by hiring an Internet company that offers that service, and you could even consider using encrypted protocols such as SSH or SSL so that you do not have to depend solely on the IP address when authenticating. the users.