IP spoofing is a technique in computer networking where an attacker creates Internet Protocol (IP) packets with a forged or false source IP address, impersonating another computer system or device. This is done by altering the source address data in the IP header of the packet, making it appear as if the packet is coming from a trusted or legitimate source rather than the attacker.
Data sent over the internet is broken into packets, each with a header containing routing information, including the source and destination IP addresses. In IP spoofing, the attacker uses specialized tools to change the source IP address in the packet header to a different, often trusted, address. The spoofed packets are sent to the target system, which may then accept them as legitimate, believing they come from a trusted source. Once the packets are accepted, attackers can exploit the system in various ways, such as stealing data, injecting malware, or launching further attacks.