Man-in-the-middle (or MitM) attacks can occur when an attacker has the ability to intercept communications over the network. This allows the attacker to read – and potentially modify – these communications. By Rob Behnke.
MitM attacks rely on an attacker’s ability to intercept, read, and modify network traffic. While a user has limited control over how their traffic flows over the Internet, they can take steps to make MitM attacks more difficult to perform. For example, the use of a virtual private network (VPN) when connected to public Wi-Fi networks helps to protect against traffic interception by a malicious wireless access point.
TLS is designed to help maintain the confidentiality and integrity of network traffic. However, the system has some weaknesses that can make it vulnerable to attack.
One of the biggest limitations of TLS is that it only proves that a user is connected to a legitimate web server for the URL that they are visiting. If the client is tricked into visiting a malicious URL via a phishing attack, then all TLS does is protect the user’s connection to the attacker’s server.
A MitM attack is mainly a threat when cybersecurity best practices aren’t followed. The use of TLS whenever possible and a VPN when connected to untrusted public networks dramatically reduces the risk of MitM attacks. Good read!
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