Which of the following is the GREATEST risk resulting from a Domain Name System (DNS) cache poisoning attack?

DNS cache poisoning, or DNS spoofing, involves corrupting a DNS resolver's cache to redirect a user's traffic to a malicious website. The primary goal of such man-in-the-middle attacks is typically to present a fraudulent website that mimics a legitimate one to steal user credentials, financial information, or other personal data. This makes the loss of sensitive data the most direct and severe risk associated with this type of attack. While other impacts are possible, data exfiltration is the most common and damaging objective.

A. Reduced system availability can be a result (e.g., by redirecting to a non-existent server), but data theft is a more severe and common risk.
B. Noncompliant operations are a secondary business consequence of a security breach, not the direct technical risk itself.
C. Loss of network visibility is not a primary outcome; the attack manipulates traffic routing, not the ability to monitor the network.

1. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). (2013). Special Publication 800-81-2: Secure Domain Name System (DNS) Deployment Guide. Section 2.2, "DNS Threats," describes how DNS spoofing can lead to users being "redirected to a malicious web site which could be used to install malware or harvest personal information."

2. Kurose, J. F., & Ross, K. W. (2017). Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach (7th ed.). Pearson. Chapter 2, Section 2.5, "DNS—The Internet’s Directory Service," discusses DNS vulnerabilities, including man-in-the-middle attacks where an attacker can return a bogus reply to intercept traffic, leading to data theft.