Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attacks: Eavesdropping and Interception

Welcome to the digital battlefield! In our quest to understand cyber threats, we'll now dive into a particularly insidious type of attack: Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks. Imagine a conversation happening between two people, and someone secretly inserts themselves in between, listening to everything and potentially altering messages without either party knowing. That's the essence of a MitM attack.

At its core, a MitM attack involves an attacker intercepting communication between two parties. This interception allows the attacker to eavesdrop on sensitive information, such as login credentials, credit card numbers, or confidential messages. In some cases, the attacker can also manipulate the data being exchanged, leading to more severe consequences like financial fraud or the deployment of malware.

Let's break down how these attacks typically unfold:

graph LR; Alice -->|Initial Connection| Bob; Alice -->|Intercepted| Attacker; Bob -->|Intercepted| Attacker; Attacker -->|Relayed/Altered| Bob; Attacker -->|Relayed/Altered| Alice;

Common methods attackers use to achieve this interception include:

1. Wi-Fi Eavesdropping: Attackers set up rogue Wi-Fi hotspots (often appearing as legitimate public Wi-Fi networks) or exploit vulnerabilities in unsecured networks. When users connect to these malicious hotspots, their traffic is routed through the attacker's device, allowing them to capture data.

2. ARP Spoofing: In local area networks (LANs), attackers can send falsified Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) messages. This tricks devices into believing the attacker's MAC address is associated with the legitimate IP address of a gateway or another device on the network, redirecting traffic to the attacker.

3. DNS Spoofing: Attackers can compromise or set up their own DNS servers to provide malicious IP addresses in response to legitimate domain name requests. This redirects users to fake websites that mimic legitimate ones, often for phishing or malware distribution.