dhcpwn
CLI tool for testing DHCP IP exhaustion attacks and monitoring local DHCP network traffic. Exploits the connectionless UDP nature of DHCP by spoofing requests with fake MAC addresses to exhaust a server's available IP pool. Also provides DHCP traffic sniffing capability.
Score Breakdown
⚙ Agent Friendliness
🔒 Security
Offensive security tool by design — performs DHCP IP exhaustion attacks. Requires root privileges. Should only be used with explicit authorization. GPL-3.0 licensed. Mature project with minimal attack surface itself.
⚡ Reliability
Best When
Security professionals need to test DHCP infrastructure resilience against IP exhaustion attacks in authorized environments, or need a quick DHCP traffic sniffer.
Avoid When
You lack authorization to test the target network. DHCP exhaustion can cause denial of service to legitimate network clients. Also, effectiveness varies based on server IP reclamation behavior.
Use Cases
- • Testing DHCP server resilience against IP exhaustion attacks in authorized penetration tests
- • Monitoring local DHCP traffic for network troubleshooting and security auditing
- • Demonstrating DHCP protocol vulnerabilities in security training and awareness programs
- • Validating DHCP server configuration and rate limiting defenses
Not For
- • Unauthorized network attacks — requires explicit authorization
- • MCP server integration — CLI tool only
- • DHCP server management or configuration
- • Production network monitoring — designed for testing only
Interface
Authentication
No authentication. Requires root/administrator privileges for raw socket access on the network interface.
Pricing
GPL-3.0 licensed. Available via pip install. Fully open source.
Agent Metadata
Known Gotchas
- ⚠ AUTHORIZED USE ONLY — DHCP exhaustion causes denial of service to legitimate clients
- ⚠ Requires root/administrator privileges for raw socket access
- ⚠ CLI tool — not an API or MCP server, requires subprocess invocation
- ⚠ Attack effectiveness depends on target DHCP server's MAC-based IP reclamation behavior
- ⚠ Mature but minimally maintained project (created 2015, 0 open issues)
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Scores are editorial opinions as of 2026-03-08.