Man-in-the-Middle Attack: Definition, Types, and Prevention

Quick Summary: Man-in-the-Middle attack is a critical security challenge that organizations face today. Understanding this attack vector is crucial to identify and resolve this threat before it becomes a huge problem. In this blog, we are going to discuss everything about MITM attacks and how to prevent them. Keep reading this for complete information.

Organizations have to face a wide range of threat vectors that attackers use to steal their data or disrupt business operations. Man-in-the-Middle attack is one of those critical security challenges. Using this attack vector, an attacker can intercept communication between two parties.

The attacker places himself in between the communication to obtain sensitive information like financial details or PIIs to commit fraud, identity theft, or other crimes. So, it is essential for security teams in organizations and even individuals to be aware of this threat.

Security teams can develop the right strategy to protect their organization’s digital assets against this threat by learning more about it and finding ways to avoid such threats. This blog covers Man-in-the-Middle attacks in detail to help build a stronger security posture.

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Man in the Middle Attack Explained

Man-in-the-Middle Attack (MITM) is a cyberattack tactic in which an attacker places himself in the middle of a user and a web application to eavesdrop on their communications. Usually, there is one-to-one communication between an authorized user and a web application.

However, an attacker may find a security loophole in the application to intercept this communication. The goal of this attack is to obtain sensitive information like login credentials, credit card numbers, account details, etc. The attacker can gain unauthorized access based on this data.

The main target of MITM attacks are eCommerce websites, SaaS businesses, financial applications, and other solutions that require login. Attackers can use data obtained with an MITM attack for various malicious purposes like identity theft, financial fraud, and password change.

How Does an MITM Attack Work?

Now that you know the man-in-the-middle attack definition, let’s consider an important question - How does the MITM attack work? Well, as you understand, in this type of attack, an attacker inserts himself between a user and a legitimate application, intercepting the communication.

The attacker can do this through various methods. Usually, vulnerabilities across networks, browsers, security controls, and accounts are primary entry points for a man in the middle cyberattack. Phishing can lead to MITM when a user clicks on an unverified link that is attached in a phishing email.

As a result, the user unknowingly becomes a victim of a man in the middle attack. Public WiFi hotspots are also a method for MITM attacks. Since public routers don’t have enough security controls, attackers can hack them to place themselves in the middle of a user and an application.

Just take a look at the image below; it visually shows how the attack works.

The MITM attack takes place in two stages, as given below.

Interception

It involves intercepting the data flowing between a user and an application. The information is relayed by the attacker to make a user believe that normal communication is underway that doesn’t arouse their suspicion.

Decryption

Applications often use encryption to ensure data travels securely from one end to another. So, the data an attacker tries to intercept could be encrypted. It needs to be decrypted before it can be used. Hence, decryption is the next step in an MITM attack. The attacker can use techniques like brute-forcing or stealing encryption keys to decrypt the data.

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Understanding the Different Types of Man-in-the-Middle Attacks

Depending on an attacker's tactic to leverage MITM to cause damage to the target audience, it can be divided into three types. Let’s get a description of each of the Man-in-the-Middle attack types.

WiFi Eavesdropping

Attackers can exploit vulnerabilities in existing public WiFi hotspots to eavesdrop on the communication between a user and an application or they can create their own hotspots to steal sensitive information. When an unaware user leverages this network to login to their accounts, their sensitive information is compromised.

Email Hijacking

In this case, an attacker takes control of an organization’s email, especially those that are in the financial domain. Attackers can gather sensitive information to cheat these organizations. They also use spoofing to convince customers to deposit money in fraudulent accounts.

Session Hijacking

When a browser initiates communication with a web application, it stores information on a session cookie temporarily. Session hijacking occurs when an attacker steals that information and impersonates a user to perform unauthorized actions.

What are the Different Techniques for MITM Attack?

There are various man-in-the-middle attack techniques that attackers use to steal sensitive data.

DNS Spoofing

IP addresses help establish connections between systems. However, we cannot remember IP addresses for different websites. There comes the role of DNS (Domain Name System) that translates website names into IP addresses that computers can understand. DNS records are used to perform the transaction. An attacker can tamper with these records to cause a user to visit a malicious domain which is known as DNS spoofing.

SSL Hijacking

SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer, offers secure communication between a client and a server through data encryption. It is a secure client-server communication protocol. An attacker can use a fake SSL certificate to take over the process and steal information.

IP Spoofing

It is similar to DNS spoofing. In this case, an attacker tries to divert web traffic to a malicious website or fraudulent website. The attacker tampers with the IP address of a fake website to make it look like it is a legitimate site.

SSL Stripping

If a website accepts HTTP connections and directs the traffic to HTTPS connections, an attacker can take use of transition to obtain unencrypted data. The attacker can take advantage of an insecure HTTP connection to get the data.

ARP Cache Poisoning

The ARP or Address Resolution Protocol is used to connect an IP with the correct MAC address. An attack can disrupt this mechanism and force a connection to a malicious MAC address that can result in compromised data.

A Few Examples of Man in the Middle Attacks

There are many examples of Man-in-the-Middle attacks that demonstrate the dangers of this threat vector. Let’s see a few notable examples of MITM attacks.

• Tesla: Many security researchers have reported that a vulnerability allows an attacker to hack Tesla vehicles. The attacker can unlock or steal Tesla vehicles by launching an MITM attack. An attacker could use a spoofed WiFi hotspot at Tesla’s charging station.
• Equifax: An unpatched vulnerability in its web application framework led to an MITM attack, resulting in compromised data of about 150 million people.
• MITM attack led to a massive data breach in 2021 for multiple companies, including LinkedIn (700 million records), Twitch (5 billion records), and Facebook (553 million records).

Tips for Preventing Man in the Middle Attacks

Protecting your data and applications against the MITM attack requires several measures and practices. The following are some methods for man in the middle attack prevention.

Strong Encryption

Strong end-to-end encryption is essential to defend against man in the middle attack and other cybersecurity threats. Organizations must implement strong encryption across network resources and applications to prevent attackers from accessing them.

Multi-Factor Authentication

MFA or Multi-Factor Authentication protects against a wide range of web application security risks, including MITM. When MFA is enabled, a user has to complete an additional step beyond login credentials to gain access to a network, system, or account.

So, even when an attacker steals credentials, the additional step will stop him from performing unauthorized actions. As a result, the attacker cannot take over the system, network, or account.

Secure Endpoints

Endpoints like mobile phones, laptops, and tablets that connect to an organization’s network from outside are prime targets of MITM attacks. Hence, protecting them can minimize the risk of this cybersecurity threat.

Zero Trust Architecture

Organizations can adopt the zero-trust architecture that focuses on frequent authentication and authorization to ensure network, data, and system security. Plus, the least privileged principle, which focuses on providing only access rights to a user, prevents unauthorized access.

Regular Security Assessment

Regular security audits are also pivotal to protect against this cybersecurity threat. Organizations can leverage vulnerability assessment to identify hidden loopholes that attackers can exploit to launch an MITM attack.

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Uncover Security Risks with ZeroThreat

Today, cybersecurity has become a critical challenge for organizations due to the rising number of cyber threats. MITM is among the most challenging cyber threats that attackers can use to steal sensitive data. Protecting against this threat requires stringent defense mechanisms and regular security assessments of your applications and APIs to uncover and resolve loopholes that attackers can exploit.

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