Internet Protocols Questions Medium
The purpose of the Reverse Path Forwarding (RPF) protocol is to prevent IP address spoofing and ensure the validity of the source IP address in a packet. It is primarily used in multicast routing and is designed to prevent the forwarding of packets with source IP addresses that do not have a valid return path. RPF works by checking the incoming packet's source IP address against the routing table and determining if the packet arrived on the interface that would be used to forward a response back to the source. If the packet arrives on the correct interface, it is considered valid and forwarded; otherwise, it is dropped. RPF helps to prevent certain types of network attacks, such as IP address spoofing, and ensures the integrity and security of the network.