What Are MitM (Man-In-The-Middle) Attacks? The Ultimate Guide

We live in a digital age rampant with cyber attacks and malicious actors looking for the perfect opportunity to steal sensitive and confidential information, and Man-in-the-Middle Attacks are no exception. This typical cyberattack enables cybercriminals to eavesdrop on the communication between two targets. This allows them to listen to confidential conversations that they aren’t authorized to listen to, and hence, the term “Man In The Middle” was coined.

Man-in-the-middle attacks can compromise your privacy and security, so if you have concerns about them, this guide is here to help. We’ll walk you through these attacks, their different types, how they work, and how you can prevent them. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

Reported Incidents About Man In The Middle Attacks

• 35% of exploitation activity involves Man In The Middle attacks.
• 58% of criminal forums and marketplaces have banking data of people collected by MitM and other cybercrimes.
• A staggering 2.5 million customers were affected by Man In The Middle Attacks, costing Equifax $145.5 million.
• MitM attacks represent 19% of all reported cyber-attacks, according to research conducted in 2021.

How Do Man In The Middle Attacks Work?

Man-in-the-middle attacks are a common type of cyberattack where the malicious attacker intercepts and sometimes alters the communication between two parties who genuinely believe they’re the only two conversing with one another. The attacker either does a passive attack, where he is eavesdropping on the conversation, or an active attack, where he manipulates all the data that’s being transmitted. So, how does a Man In The Middle attack work? Here’s how:

1. The first stage of a Man-in-the-Middle Attack is an interception. The attackers alter the communication between two parties by putting themselves between the sender and the receiver. This is done through different methods, including Wi-Fi sniffing, ARP spoofing, and DNS spoofing.
2. The second stage of this attack is decryption. If the communication between the two parties gets encrypted, the attacker finds a way to decrypt it. This is also done through various methods, like SSL Stripping, where the attacker forces the communication from HTTPS to HTTP. Another method is TLS Handshake Interception, where the attacker intercepts the TLS handshake and establishes a separate encrypted connection with the victim and the server, decrypting and then encrypting data as it passes through.
3. Once the attacker successfully intercepts your data, they modify it before sending it to the intended recipient. This involves the attacker altering the content of the communication and impersonation, where the attacker pretends to be one of the parties in communication with the other and gets them to trust them as if they are a legitimate entity.
4. Once the interception and manipulation occur, the attacker forwards this data to the intended recipient, making it seem like the communication is normal. The two legitimate parties are unaware that a malicious actor is snooping on their conversations.

What Are The Different Types Of Man In The Middle Attacks?

Here are some of the significant types of Man-In-The-Middle Attacks that you need to be aware of:

1) Wi-Fi Eavesdropping

In Wi-Fi eavesdropping, malicious actors will get vulnerable users to connect to a nearby Wi-Fi network that looks legitimate. However, the fact of the matter is that it’s a malicious setup by cybercriminals. The wireless connection appears to be owned by a legitimate business or has a generic name that wouldn’t normally arouse suspicion. Once users connect to this wireless network, thinking it’s legitimate, the malicious actors can monitor their online activities and steal their sensitive and confidential information.

2) Email Hijacking

Attackers can gain unauthorized access to a banking or credit card company’s email accounts, which they use to monitor financial transactions and steal sensitive and confidential information. They also use these email accounts or a spoofed email address, which is only slightly different from the actual one, to offer false information and guidance to customers, including transferring money to a new checking account.

3) Session Hijacking

In session hijacking, attackers intercept an active session between a user and server by stealing the session token or cookie. The hacker also steals sensitive information stored in web browser cookies. Once the attacker gains access to the token, they can impersonate the user and gain unauthorized access to their accounts.

4) SSL Hijacking

This attack is an extension of HTTPS spoofing and is hijacking, which involves hijacking the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and going to an unencrypted HTTP connection. This is executed by intercepting the initial request to the server and then removing the “S” from HTTPS, preventing it from being a secure and encrypted connection.

5) DNS Spoofing

In a DNS spoofing attack, the attacker introduces corrupt DNS cache information to the host to access another host using their domain name, such as www.example.com. This leads to vulnerable sending sensitive data to the malicious host, thinking they are sending the information to a legitimate source. Attackers who have spoofed an IP address will find it much easier to spoof DNS by simply resolving the address of the DNS server to the malicious actor’s address.

6) IP Spoofing

IP spoofing is similar to DNS spoofing in that the attackers redirect internet traffic from a legitimate website to a fraudulent website. Instead of spoofing the website’s DNS records, the attacker alters the malicious website’s IP address to make it seem as if the IP address of the legitimate website that the users wanted to visit.

What Are The Most Common Man In The Middle Attack Techniques?

These are some of the most common MitM techniques that cybercriminals will implement to steal your sensitive and confidential information this includes:

• Sniffing: Attackers use packet capture tools to inspect all the packets at a lower level. They utilize particular wireless devices monitored or promiscuous to see packets they are not permitted to visit, including packets addressed to other hosts.
• Packet Injection: The attacker exploits the device’s monitoring mode to inject malicious packets into the data’s communication systems. The packets then get mixed with accurate data communication streams, appearing to be as if they’re a part of the communication, but they’re malicious.
• HTTPS Spoofing: The attacker uses a domain that is similar to the target website. The attacker tricks the browser into thinking it’s visiting a trusted and reliable website when it’s actually not. It redirects your browser to a suspicious website to capture sensitive and confidential information.
• ARP Spoofing: ARP stands for Address Resolution Protocol and is used by computers on local networks to find each other’s physical MAC address. The attacker sends fake ARP messages to trick computers to associate the hacker’s MAC address with an IP address it doesn’t belong to. The data meant for a specific machine goes to the hacker instead.

Here are popular tools that are used in Man In The Middle attacks:

• Ettercap, PacketCreator, Cain and Abel, and dSniff are often used to intercept communications between hosts. These tools work more effectively in LAN networks.
• Proxy tools can also manipulate the HTTP protocol. These MitM proxy tools include WebScarab, ProxyFuzz, Paros, and OWASP.

Recent Cases Of Man In The Middle Attacks

Here are some prominent Man-In-The-Middle attack examples in recent times:

1) The Equifax Scandal

The Equifax data breach occurred between May and July 2017, compromising the private records of 147.9 million Americans, 15.2 million British citizens, and 19000 Canadian citizens. This was one of the largest cyber crimes related to identity theft, compromising millions of users’ data. The hackers successfully implemented SSL spoofing to capture the user’s credentials and then execute the attack.

2) MitM Attack Stealing $1 Million From Israeli Startup

Malicious actors could pull off an elaborate Man In The Middle Attack to steal from an Israeli startup by intercepting a wire transfer from a Chinese venture capital firm intended for the new business. Checkpoint details how the security vendor discovered the wire transfer heist, in which the attacker employs unique tactics to fool both sides of the transfers.

According to this report, Checkpoint got involved in this incident, where a $1 million wire transfer between the two parties never made it to a startup. In these MitM attacks, the criminals keep track of emails between the parties doing the wire transfer and create an auto-forwarding rule to intercept these parties. In this particular case, the attacker registered two lookalike domains to get personally involved in the action.

3) Superfish Case

In 2015, Lenovo devices were shipped with pre-installed adware, making users vulnerable to Man-in-the-Middle Attacks. The Superfish Visual Search software would insert ads into the user’s encrypted web traffic. An update, which Microsoft Windows Defender released in February 2015, had removed this vulnerability from the devices.

4) MitM Attack By Kazakhstan Government

In July 2019, the government of Kazakhstan attempted to execute a massive Man In The Middle Attack on Kazakh citizens. Users of all Kazakh mobile networks were ordered to install a government-issued CA certificate to continue using websites like Google services, Instagram, and Facebook. Under immense global pressure, the government backed out, saying this decision was just a test. However, the damage had been done, and the Kazakh citizens were upset.

How To Detect Man In The Middle Attacks?

You’re aware of the different types of Man-in-the-Middle attacks and their dangers. However, you also need to be able to detect them to prevent your sensitive and confidential data from being compromised. Detecting a Man In The Middle Attack can be challenging because the attackers always attempt to remain hidden. Here are some of the surefire signs you need to be aware of regarding Man In The Middle attacks so that you can take timely action and prevent them:

• You find yourself connected to an unsecured WiFi network, even though you don’t recall connecting to one. This is a possible MITM attack to lure vulnerable users and steal their sensitive and confidential information.
• You intend to visit an HTTPS-encrypted website but are redirected to an HTTP website instead.
• You’re attempting to log in to your account, but you keep getting timed out; this is a sign that the malicious actor is disconnecting from the session so that they can intercept your sensitive and confidential information.
• You suddenly see warnings about untrusted SSL/TSL certificates, which tell you someone is trying to intercept your HTTPS traffic.
• Your network is slowing down and constantly experiencing lags, a sign of a Man In The Middle attack.
• If you suddenly get redirected to different websites without any specific reason or see unusual URLs in the browser’s address bar, this strongly indicates DNS spoofing.
• Suppose you’re receiving suspicious emails asking for sensitive information, like your login credentials and payment details. In that case, this may be a phishing attack as part of a MiTM attack.
• Your account settings and security configurations have been changed without your consent. This indicates that an attacker is trying to intercept your account and trying to gain unauthorized access.

How To Prevent Man In The Middle Attacks?

To prevent Man In The Middle attacks, you must adopt the most effective strategies to protect your sensitive and confidential data. Here are the most effective preventative strategies to combat a MiTM threat.

1) Use AstrillVPN

AstrillVPN encrypts your internet traffic and masks your IP address, ensuring that third parties like your ISP, advertisers, malicious actors, and others cannot decipher or intercept your sensitive and confidential data. Since all of your data gets routed through a secure VPN tunnel, all of your data will remain secure and away from the clutches of malicious actors. AstrillVPN offers various security features, including a Kill Switch feature, Smart Mode, DNS leak protection, AES 256 encryption, and robust encryption protocols like Wireguard, StealthVPN, and OpenVPN.

AstrillVPN also adheres to a strict No Logs policy, which means that it does not record or store your information when you use the VPN and all of your browsing sessions; the data you share will automatically be deleted as soon as you log out of the VPN. AstrillVPN also protects sensitive and confidential data on a public network since public networks are the most vulnerable to interception.

2) Use Strong Passwords & Implement Multi-Factor Authentication

Ensure you have strong passwords enabled for all your online accounts. Using strong and complex passwords makes it challenging for malicious actors to intercept and gain unauthorized access to your online accounts. When choosing a strong password, first make sure that you have different passwords for all your different online accounts and that they include an uppercase letter, a lowercase letter, special characters, and numbers.

Secondly, enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on all your online accounts. MFA requires additional verification before you can gain access to your online accounts. MFA can be a one-time password (OTP) sent to your email, phone number, or biometric verification.

3) Use Reliable Antivirus Software

Reliable antivirus software helps protect you from online threats and viruses in real-time, removing any traces of malicious activity as soon as it detects any. When choosing an antivirus software, ensure that it scans and removes threats in real-time; it does not put a strain on the system’s resources, doesn’t slow down your device, and is easy to use for a person who isn’t that tech-savvy. It is also compatible with multiple operating systems, including iOS, Android, Linux, macOS and Windows. It should also offer frequent and automatic updates and include other useful features like a firewall, anti-phishing protection, ransomware protection, and email protection. Some well-known antivirus providers you can opt for include Avast, Norton, and Bitdefender.

4) Use Secure Websites

When browsing websites, make sure that they are HTTPS encrypted. This is because they encrypt the transmitted data between the browser and the website, making it challenging for attackers to intercept your sensitive data. This is particularly important when sharing sensitive information like your login credentials and financial details. Since HTTPS websites encrypt your connection, you are protected from MitM attacks, where the attackers can intercept and manipulate the data shared between you and the website.

5) Use End-to-End Encryption Services

If you’re in an organization, you must inform employees to use encrypted communications when talking with other employees and stakeholders of the company. They should enable encryption for emails and other communication channels that they use. Some communication platforms, such as Telegram and WhatsApp, automatically offer end-to-end encryption, so encourage your employees to use these.

6) Be Cautious Of Emails & Links

Be cautious when you see suspicious emails with sketchy links and attachments. These are all signs of a phishing attack. You must proceed cautiously if you receive unsolicited emails asking for sensitive and confidential data. Phishing attacks are always used simultaneously with MitM attacks to trick users into divulging sensitive and confidential information. You should also verify if the email is legitimate by personally contacting the sender and confirming that it’s them. Verify their legitimacy if they seem unusual.

7) Keep Your Network Secure

It would help if you always used a secure network when browsing online. Use WPA3 or, at the very least, WPA2 encryption for all your WiFi networks. Avoid using WEP networks, as these can be vulnerable. Segment your network using VLANs and network segmentation to limit the impact and spread of Man-in-the-Middle Attacks within the network. Also, ensure that your firmware is updated regularly.

Wrapping Up

MitM attacks can compromise your privacy and security and trick you into divulging sensitive information, so you need to be able to detect them early on to take timely action and prevent them. This guide details all the signs you need to be on the lookout for and the most preventative strategies to eradicate MitM attacks. Once you adopt these security practices, you will never have to worry about Man In The Middle attacks and other cyber attacks.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)