What is ARP in Cybersecurity?
Networking & InfrastructureARP
Version 1.0 · Published April 2026 · Last verified April 2026
Address Resolution Protocol maps IP addresses to MAC (hardware) addresses on a local network. When a device needs to communicate with another device on the same subnet, it broadcasts an ARP request asking "who has this IP?" The target responds with its MAC address, which gets cached locally.
Why ARP Matters for Your Cybersecurity Career
ARP spoofing (or poisoning) is a classic man-in-the-middle attack on local networks. Attackers send forged ARP replies to redirect traffic through their machine. SOC analysts detect ARP anomalies in network traffic. Security engineers deploy dynamic ARP inspection on switches to prevent these attacks.
Which Cybersecurity Roles Use ARP?
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Looking for the acronym? Read about ARP in the cybersecurity acronym decoder
Address Resolution Protocol maps IP addresses to MAC (hardware) addresses on a local network. When a device needs to communicate with another device on the same subnet, it broadcasts an ARP request asking "who has this IP?" The target responds with its MAC address, which gets cached locally.
ARP spoofing (or poisoning) is a classic man-in-the-middle attack on local networks. Attackers send forged ARP replies to redirect traffic through their machine. SOC analysts detect ARP anomalies in network traffic. Security engineers deploy dynamic ARP inspection on switches to prevent these attacks.
Cybersecurity professionals who work with ARP include SOC Analyst, Penetration Tester, Security Engineer. These roles apply ARP knowledge within the Networking & Infrastructure domain.
Sources
Definitions are original explanations written for career development purposes. For authoritative technical definitions, refer to NIST, ISO, or the relevant standards body.
Last verified: April 2026?Report an inaccuracy
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