IGMP snooping limits the number of receivers that see a multimedia broadcast, reducing bandwidth and memory usage. Without it, every computer connected to the broadcasting computer would receive the video and audio, causing reduced quality, poor transmission, and possibly even transmission failure. A hacker can exploit IGMP snooping with a DOS attack.
Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) snooping sounds like an invasion of privacy or a type of hacking attack, but it’s actually an important feature in multimedia broadcasting. IGMP snooping aims to reduce bandwidth and memory usage and helps a broadcast stay strong by limiting the amount of receivers that see the broadcast. Without IGMP snooping, every computer connected to the broadcasting computer would receive the video and audio, which could put enormous pressure on the server. Using this snooping technique, a hacker can cause a Denial of Service (DOS) attack.
When a computer or server makes a media broadcast, without the use of IGMP snooping, the broadcast is sent to everyone connected to the host computer. This may be nothing for a small network but, for larger networks, this means that huge numbers of computers can join the broadcast. When so many computers are listening to the stream, a huge amount of memory is required to keep the audio and video going. This will lead to reduced quality, poor transmission and possibly even transmission failure.
With IGMP snooping enabled, a switch is flipped so that only certain receivers receive the broadcast. The network administrator can set it up and the transmission memory needs are greatly reduced. This is because the receivers and computers receiving the broadcast, rather than the transmitting computer and its associated network, manage memory needs.
If a host wants to join the stream, the admin will need to grant the host access. Once added, the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the network will be displayed, thus identifying the network. This identification helps because, in the event that the network attempts an attack or if something goes wrong with the network, the administrator can then refuse further access. If the host leaves, the IP address will be removed from the list until the administrator grants access again.
A hacker can exploit the IGMP snooping technique with a Denial of Service (DOS) attack. A DOS attack makes computer resources unavailable, which means that network service can no longer be used. Flooding a network does this more often. With an IGMP exploit, the hacker will send countless connections to the stream and the administrator would find it impossible to sort the real requests from the fake ones. If snooping is set to allow any connection, all network memory would be consumed by the many requests.
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