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Tech Verse

Cyber-attacks are escalating around the globe, causing damage and stealing data from users. A cyber-attack is an invasion launched on one or multiple computers or networks by hackers using one or more computers. The attackers attack computers to get confidential information or for financial fraud.

Generally, the attacker breaches an individual or organization’s data for their benefit. Varieties of cyber-attacks include malware, phishing, Denial-of-Service attack, SQL injection, zero-day exploit, DNS tunneling, and Man-in-the-Middle attack. We will discuss what a Man-in-the-Middle attack is and how you can prevent it in this article.

Know Man-in-the-Middle Attacks and How to Prevent them

What are Man-in-the-Middle Attacks?

A man-in-the-middle attack is an attack when a hacker puts himself into the communication between two parties. The attacker uses this attack to impersonate a party or listen to the conversation for confidential information.

Usually, users of financial applications, e-commerce sites, SaaS enterprises, and other websites are the target of these attacks to steal the data such as personal or account information, login credentials, credit card numbers, etc.

Types of Man-in-the-Middle Attacks:

The various types of Man-in-the-middle attacks are as follows:

IP Address Spoofing Attacks:

In an IP address spoofing attack, a hacker uses a fake IP address source to imitate another device to breach the network and access the information. IP address spoofing is the root cause of DoS attacks.

Hijacking Sessions:

Cookie or session hijacking is a method that hackers use to get unauthorized access to a website’s information or a service. This method can also affect applications and online sessions.

Man-in-the-Browser:

Bad actors exploit vulnerabilities of a system’s browser or application to supply malware, trojans, and malicious java scripts to access users’ private data in real time.

Email Snooping:

In email snooping attacks, a hacker targets email chats by hacking into a victim’s email. Moreover, attackers often use phishing attacks to lure and gain private data or inject malware into the system.

Eavesdropping attack:

As you know, public Wi-Fi networks are not secure. Thus, it is easy for attackers to hack into them. Hackers use public Wi-Fi to enter a user network and gain sensitive information.

Consequences of Man-in-the-Middle Attacks:

The attackers can do the following from a successful MITM attack:

  • They can position themselves as proxies in an ongoing conversation or data transfer.
  • Misuse of communication and data transfer.
  • Hackers can obtain trade secrets and use them for financial gains.
  • Insert malicious programs or links in the system.

Preventions against Man-in-the-Middle Attacks:

You spot a Man-in-the-Middle attack with essential security and encryption procedures. Here are some tips that can prevent you from being the victim of a Man-in-the-Middle attack.

  • Pay attention to the notification from insecure websites from your browser.
  • Avoid performing transactions from an e-commerce or banking website using public or insecure Wi-Fi.
  • Always log out from online platforms after using.
  • To protect your device from cyber-attacks, use antivirus. Antivirus can detect unauthorized access with powerful firewalls and protocols.
  • Use TLS and HTTPS protocols to access secure communication. TLS and HTTPS are protocols with strong encryptions and authentication mechanisms,
  • When accessing a website, look for a grey or green padlock on the address bar and avoid any website with a red padlock. Green or grey represents secure connection, while a red represents insecure.
  • Double-check domains before visiting any website.

Conclusion:

Today, cyber-attacks are increasing, and many are becoming prey to financial fraud and data theft. Around 35% of cyber-attacks are Man-in-the-middle attacks. These attacks disrupt communication between two parties and use their information for personal gain.

Man-in-the-middle is a prevalent threat for all organizations. Follow upper mentioned preventions to safeguard yourself from these attacks. We hope that this article was helpful for you. Give us a thumbs up and comment what you think about Man-in-the-Middle attacks.


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