Man-In-The-Middle Attack

What Is A Man-In-The-Middle Attack?

A man-in-the-middle attack occurs when a mischievous participant enters a communication between two entities, falsifies both of them, and acquires access to the information that the parties involved were trying to communicate.

Deeper Definition

The cybercriminal must get access to an open or poorly secured Wi-Fi network in a typical man-in-the-middle attack. These sorts of networks are commonly available in public places with free Wi-Fi hotspots and in some people’s homes if their networks have not been safeguarded. Hackers can scan the web for specific weaknesses, such as a passcode that is too easy to guess.

After locating a susceptible router, hackers can use devices to eavesdrop and read the victim’s information.

The hacker can then implant their devices between the victim’s machine and the websites the user accesses, capturing login credentials, financial information, and other sensitive data.

Man-in-the-middle assaults can take two forms: physical closeness to the designated target and malicious software or malware.

MITM attacks may be used in several ways by cybercriminals to obtain control of machines.

IP spoofing: Attackers fool you into thinking you’re talking with a trustworthy website or business by faking an IP address, giving them access to data you would typically keep private.

HTTPS spoofing: HTTPS indicates that a website is secure and trustworthy. However, attackers may trick your browser into believing that a site is safe even if it isn’t.

DNS spoofing: This method redirects a visitor to a bogus website instead of the one they intended to view. When you are a victim of DNS spoofing, you may believe you are accessing a safe, trustworthy webpage when you’re dealing with a scammer.

SSL hijacking: An SSL hijacking occurs when an attacker uses a different device and a safe server to eavesdrop on all data flowing between the server and the user’s device.

Man-In-The-Middle Attack Example

Assume a person on a specific social network wishes to log in to his account but was instructed to do so after previously logging in.

The user entered his information, and after approximately 2 hours, he was hacked out of his account since the page he was forwarded to was not the official website, and his information got into the wrong hands.