AP® Cybersecurity glossary

DNS poisoning

Also called: DNS cache poisoning

Planting a fake domain name system (DNS) record on a DNS server so users are redirected, typically to a malicious website.

Appears in the course and exam description (CED): 3.1.A.33.5.E.5

Why it matters in Unit 3

It often leads to credential harvesting. It is hard to detect; an abrupt, unexplained drop in traffic to the real website should prompt a check of the DNS records.

Example

A fake record sends a bank’s name to the adversary’s server, which shows a copy of the bank’s login page.

Learn it properly, with a checkpoint Addresses: MAC, IP, ARP, DNS and ICMP

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