Chapter 2. Defeating a Learning Bridge’s Forwarding Process
This chapter discusses various ways to get an Ethernet LAN switch to “fail open” and send data traffic off ports it does not belong.
Note
Users already familiar with basic LAN switching concepts can skip the “Back to Basics” section.
Back to Basics: Ethernet Switching 101
Before delving into the various exploits that can turn a $50,000 Ethernet switch into a $12 off-the-shelf supermarket hub, a quick review of LAN switching basics is in order. Ethernet switches usually operate at Layer 2 (the data link layer) of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model1. Switches make their frame-forwarding decisions differently than routers. Indeed, where routers are concerned with ...
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