The Devastating Effects Of A Man-in-the-Middle Attack

Uploaded on 2024-06-04 in TECHNOLOGY--Resilience, TECHNOLOGY--Hackers, FREE TO VIEW

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Companies that use the internet and cloud computing platforms for their operations are at risk of cyber attacks if they fail to take the necessary security precautions. Even when some companies take reasonable steps to protect themselves, cybercriminals create new strategies to outsmart them and infiltrate their systems.

There are many types of cyber attacks and most of them aim to cause business disruptions, access sensitive information, or extract valuable data from their victims. This article will highlight one of the cyber attacks called a man in the middle attack.

What Are Man-in-the-Middle Attacks?

Man-in-the-middle attacks are cyber attacks where malicious actors place themselves in between two parties that transmit data to each other. This can be between two internet users or a user and an application.

This attack is effective because unsuspecting internet users will believe they are communicating solely with a trusted party. They might willingly divulge information like login credentials, personal bio-data, financial information, and other things that are usually kept private. Unbeknownst to them, a cybercriminal is intercepting this sensitive information and using it for nefarious purposes. Cybercriminals usually intercept these communications by inserting themselves into unsecured internet connections or by launching spoofing attacks.

Potential Impacts Of Man-in-the-Middle Attacks

When a malicious actor launches a man-in-the-middle attack, they will be able to obtain information like credit card numbers, usernames, passwords, dates of birth, answers to security questions, and so on. This will give them what they need to drain people’s bank accounts, make unauthorized purchases, conduct phishing attacks on their victim’s loved ones, and more.

Some cyber attackers go big and attack large corporations, SaaS platform users, and ecommerce websites. This allows them to intercept and extract large volumes of sensitive information from many people and make huge profits from their actions.

Also, the information they extract can give them more access to the entity they attack so they can perpetuate even more attacks in the future. For example, a group of hackers that hack into a company’s network can gain an employee’s work account login credentials. They can use that compromised work account to send messages with phishing links to other unsuspecting employees. People who link those links will give the group of hackers more attack vectors they can use to invade the affected company’s IT infrastructure.

Potential Victims Of Man-in-the-Middle Attacks

Cybercriminals perpetrate this attack on businesses and everyday people. Businesses that have websites with a lot of visitors and applications with lots of users are typically at risk. They are the ideal target for hackers because a successful attack will give them access to lots of people’s personal information.

People who connect their phones and smart devices to unsecured Wi-Fi networks, communicate with a compromised account or email address, and visit spoofed websites can also be victims of this attack.

Endnote

Man-in-the-middle attacks are effective and worrisome because in many cases, the victim will have no clue that their communication has been compromised. They will act naturally and share information with supposed trusted parties without knowing someone is lurking in the dark, intercepting their communications.

This is why people and companies should ensure their internet connections and IT infrastructure are secure before using them.

Image: KeepCoding

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