CompTIA Network+ Practice Test

What role does DHCP snooping play in network security?

1. It improves switch performance

2. It authorizes DHCP servers and prevents rogue servers

3. It encrypts DHCP communications

4. It provides a backup for DHCP clients

The correct answer is: It authorizes DHCP servers and prevents rogue servers

DHCP snooping is a critical security feature that functions primarily to authorize DHCP servers within a network and to prevent the introduction of rogue DHCP servers. By maintaining a database of trusted DHCP servers, DHCP snooping helps ensure that only legitimate servers can offer IP addresses to clients. This is crucial because unauthorized DHCP servers can potentially assign incorrect IP addresses to clients, leading to a variety of issues such as man-in-the-middle attacks, IP address conflicts, or even denial of service. The mechanism works by inspecting DHCP packets that are received on the network. When a DHCP server responds to a request, the switch checks whether the port where the response was received is a trusted port (connected to a legitimate DHCP server) or an untrusted port. If the port is untrusted, the switch will discard the DHCP packets from that source. This validation process effectively helps to protect the network from malicious activities associated with unauthorized DHCP servers. Other options related to DHCP snooping do not accurately capture its primary role in network security. Improving switch performance, encrypting DHCP communications, or providing backup for DHCP clients do not reflect its core function in managing trusted and untrusted environments within a network. Thus, authorizing DHCP servers and preventing rogue servers stands out as the focused objective of