What is Man in the Middle Attack?
The advancement of information technology has provided many benefits to a lot of people. However, many people have misused their skills to operate information technology to achieve their goals at the expense of others. Some of the methods these cybercriminals used include Hacking, Phishing, Trojan Horse, and another tool in their arsenal is Man in The Middle or MITM. As the name suggests, a MITM attack occurs when a third party managed to get in between two-party that communicate through a network without both party knowledge. The best illustration in a more traditional sense is when a messenger opens the message they carry then use them however they want. The differences between the two are, there is no need for an actual messenger and a crucial aspect of a successful attack depended on the attacker’s ability to remain unknown to both victims.
Once the attacker managed to between these their victims, there are a lot of things that they can do. The things they can do includes eavesdropping, delete a message, altering the content of the message, or worse, they can impersonate one of the party. In any case, most of these attacks are meant to either spy on someone or gather sensitive information such as passwords, credit card details, and other information. When sufficient information is gathered, the attacker can cause problems by conducting identity theft, transferring funds, gain access to a secure network, or even changing passwords.
How Man in the Middle attack is executed?
In most cases, the first thing an attacker needs to do is to get in between the two-party. The simplest way to do this is through gaining access to the same network as one of the victims or set up their networks such as using public Wi-Fi. They can either access the network to compromise it or set up their own network with a similar name to nearby businesses, provide an internet connection, and monitor the traffic of anyone who is using the network.
Another method an attacker can use is something called, IP spoofing. IP or internet protocol is the address that devices connected use to identify themselves. IP spoofing is a way to alter IP to trick a victim to believe they are connected to a trusted website. It is also possible to redirect a victim to a fake website through DNS spoofing. DNS is short for Domain Name Server is the server that translates a domain name such as “letstechiteasy.com“ into an IP address such as “192.0.0.1” before sending it back to the user. By compromising the server, it is possible to send the user to a fake website.
When the connection has been established, the next step of the attack is to read the actual message. As mentioned above, Man in the Middle attack has its traditional counterparts, and there has been some method created to combat this situation. The most common method is encryption, which is a process to alter the content of the message into an unreadable form using a key. The receiver and sender will have a similar key to encrypt and decrypt the message, this way if the massage is read by anyone other than those two they will not be able to understand the content. One way an attacker can now use is called SSL stripping. SSL means Secure Sockets Layer, which is a protocol that creates an encrypted communication. In SSL stripping the attacker manipulates the authentication process in order to appear legitimate and establish their role as a middle man to operate the connection and enable them to both relay and decrypt the message.
Additionally, it is possible to utilize malware or malicious software to perform a type of MITM attack called Man in the Browser attack or MITB. It involves inserting malware to the user browser through Phishing. With this malware, the attacker can monitor the user’s online activity and steal important information.
How to protect against Man in the Middle attack?
Facing this situation, Security experts have worked tirelessly and conduct further research to improve cybersecurity. However, there are a few steps that the users themselves need to take in order to further guarantee their safety.
The first thing to do is to avoid using a free and unprotected wireless connection, especially in a public space. While this connection is convenient, it is a great tool for MITM attacks. Additionally, even when password protected, it is not a good idea to do things that might involve sensitive information such as logging into a financial website.
Next, it is important to obey browser notification regarding an unsecured website. Browser developers are aware of these problems and to help their users avoid problems they set up notifications when the user attempts to access an unsecured website.
Other good ways to protect against MITM attack are to use a good quality router with strong encryption, always use a strong password, and make it a habit to always log out after any session.
As a general rule, it is also a good idea to choose a good quality security software to protect your devices and acquire it from a reputable source such as X-Tech Buy. The security software can include anti-virus, anti-malware, and a VPN that can provide a more private and secure connection. This security software is an excellent way to combat MITM attacks, especially MITB. However it crucial to keep it up to date to keep the computer secure. Unfortunately, there is a wide range of security products available on the market. It is best to research them first by visiting their website, comparing their features, consult with a supplier who can also help set up everything.
Conclusion
In conclusion, MITM has been around for a long time and it managed to adapt with time. On the other hand, this causes security experts to evolve accordingly and provide people methods to avoid security breaches. However, there is no one fix for all, it is important to exercise caution and behave responsibly when browsing the internet. It is always better to prevent and avoid potential problems than fixing them when it happens.
