What is DHCP snooping?

DHCP snooping is a security feature found in network switches that acts as a firewall between untrusted DHCP clients and trusted DHCP servers. It helps to prevent unauthorized or rogue DHCP servers from distributing IP addresses and configuration information to clients on a network. DHCP snooping works by allowing only specific ports on a switch to respond to DHCP requests and by monitoring DHCP messages to ensure they conform to established policies. By doing so, it helps mitigate attacks such as DHCP spoofing, where a rogue server can provide false IP configurations to clients. Additionally, DHCP snooping can be used to maintain a binding database that records which MAC addresses are assigned to which IP addresses, enhancing network security and management.