How Can Vlan Hopping Attacks Be Prevented On A Network?

How Can VLAN Hopping Attacks Be Prevented On A Network?

• On each nontrunk port, it can disable the STP.
• On the link of trunks, it uses the ISL encapsulation.
• On the trunks port, it can use the VLAN 1 as the local VLAN.
• It can incapacitate the negotiation of the trunk for the trunk ports and technically set the nontrunk ports as an access port. 

Answer: The attack of VLAN hopping depends on the hacker who is able to form the trunk link along with the switch. The attacks can be prevented with incapacitated DTP and user-facing ports configuration as the static access ports which are helpful. The incapacitation of STP (Spanning tree protocol) can’t erase the attacks as VLAN hopping.

What is VLAN hopping?

Virtual local area network hopping or VLAN hopping is the process of attacks on the resource of the VLAN by forwarding the frames to the port which are not accessible through an end system. The major purpose of the attack is to get access to other VLANs on the same network.

For the process to begin the treat actor has to violate at least one of the VLAN on the given network, which will help the cybercriminals to form the base for the attack on other VLANs which are connected to the same network with the breach.

 How does VLAN hopping cause vulnerability in the security of the network? 

The weakness in the VLANs is associated with certain features such as:

• Make the network administrator divide at least one of the switched networks to compare the requirements as functional and security of the system without the need of a new wire or modify the infrastructure.
• Make the performance of the network better by joining the device which communicate often together.
• Give the larger network better and improved security by allowing control to the devices such as which one has access or not.

Splitting the user’s VLANs help in the security improvement because the users are able to access the network which they are requested. And if the one VLAN is attacked by the hacker they will retain it in that network.

Prevention of VLAN hopping:

• Better security can prevent the VLAN hopping such as the interface which is untouched should be placed and closed in a VLAN.
• Try to avoid the VLAN trunk port use if it is not urgent.
• Extra access ports need to be configured by hand with the help of switch port mode access.
• The switch spoofing and double tabbing can be avoided with the help of proper switch configuration.
• To minimize the switch spoofing risk, try to switch off the auto-tracking feature on the switches which are in no need to trunk.
• The extra port that should not be trunks must be set as the access ports.
• The double tagging is prevented through three steps such as:

1. The host must not be on the default Ethernet VLAN or VLAN 1.
2. The local VLAN on each trunk port should be an unused VLAN ID.
3. For all trunk ports, the direct tagging of local VLAN must be allowed.