What is a Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attack?

Introduction to MITM

Man-in-the-middle is a common cyber-attack where a hacker secretly intercepts and passes on corrupted messages between two parties. In this security vulnerability, the attacker is the man in the middle which both parties are unaware of.

The main goal of this attack is to impersonate one of the parties and eavesdrop to gain access to critical business information. An MITM attack can lead to the manipulation of credentials, unauthorized access to data, account hijacking, and more.

Common Types of Man-in-the-Middle Attack

Here are some of the common types of MITM attacks that you must know about.

1. Email Hijacking

In this attack, the hackers take control of the victim’s email accounts. This gives them full control of their personal data, transaction history, etc., making the business vulnerable.

2. Session Hijacking

Session hijacking is an MITM attack where cybercriminals gain unethical access to a user’s session cookies. By doing so, they might gain access to the user’s critical information.

3. Wi-Fi Eavesdropping

MITM attackers create public Wi-Fi networks and get victims to connect to them. This helps attackers track user’s online activities, login credentials, credit card details, etc.

The Working Mechanism of MITM Attacks

Let us dive deeper into the two-step process followed in every man-in-the-middle attack.

1. Interception

As the name suggests, interception is the first step where the attacker tries to push themselves between two parties. This gives them a way into the user’s system and data.

2. Deception

After the victims are locked in, the attacker makes the move to deceive them. This could cover various actions based on what the attacker’s intentions are.

Essential Tips to Prevent MITM Attack

There are certain practices that both businesses and individuals can follow to gain protection against man-in-the-middle attacks. Check out some of these practices here.

1. Virtual Private Networks (VPN)

The best practice to keep MITM attacks at bay is to use a VPN. It encrypts the data flowing between one device to another which makes it a strong defense against these attacks. With VPN, you don’t have to worry about hackers accessing your sensitive data.

2. Advanced Endpoint Security

Endpoints include your smartphones, laptops, etc., which are usually the primary target of MITM attackers. Therefore, make sure you install antiviruses and update them regularly to prevent such attacks from breaching your devices.

3. Avoid Unknown Wi-Fi Networks

Make sure you avoid connecting your devices with unknown or public wi-fi networks, especially when you are browsing sensitive data. Never connect to a network that isn’t password protected as they are generally a bait set by hackers to initiate a man-in-the-middle attack.

4. Deploy Multifactor Authentication (MFA)

MFA is a double-layer protection that prevents attackers from breaching into your system. It requires an additional step after entering the password to access a device. It means even if the attacker gets your password, they won’t be able to get into your system directly.

5. End-to-end Encryption

Another crucial step to cyber security is using end-to-end encryption. Make sure you or your organization is using encryption while sending information across communication channels. This ensures that only authorized personnel have access to the shared data.