Picture this: You are sitting at your favourite coffee shop, sipping a latte and connecting to the free Wi-Fi to check your bank account details. You’re planning your next big purchase and want to check how much money you have available to spend right now. What if someone was secretly watching your every move, from the time you entered your password to checking your account balance, without you being aware of it? This is an example of a man-in-the-middle attack. It’s a sneaky attack and unfortunately, more common than you think. Let’s look at how the attack works and how you can protect yourself against them.
What is a man-in-the-middle attack?
A man-in-the-middle attack, or MitM as it is also known, is when a hacker intercepts an online connection without your knowledge. A hacker will simply try their preferred method to intercept and hijack your data. Imagine you are sending a text message to your friend. As soon as you hit send, the hacker will access the message, and potentially amend it, before it is received by your friend.
You can also think of it as someone digitally reading your messages over your shoulder and replying as if they were you.
How does a MitM attack occur?
MitM attacks can occur in several ways. Let’s look at the most common methods used by hackers:
- Public Wi-Fi. Hackers can set up fake Wi-Fi connections or infiltrate existing public Wi-Fi. If you connect to one of these connections, it is very easy for them to intercept your data.
- ARP spoofing. A hacker can use this method to trick your device into thinking that the hacker’s device is the legitimate router. You will not be aware that they have intercepted your data.
- DNS spoofing. The hacker can use this method to update the domain information so that when you try to visit a legitimate website, you are redirected to the attacker’s fake website instead.
Each of these methods requires various levels of technique but they always end up at the same goal: to spy, steal, or change your data.
Why are these attacks dangerous?
MitM attacks can be dangerous primarily because they are so hard to detect. In many cases, you will not notice anything strange or suspicious until it’s too late.
Man-in-the-middle attacks can:
- Invade your privacy. A MitM attack can compromise your personal data like your banking information or logon credentials.
- Manipulate your data. Hackers can change the information you are sending or receiving which could have awful consequences, such as sending instructions for fake bank transfer details.
- Result in financial loss. MitM attacks can lead to fraud because the attackers can capture credit card details and other sensitive information and use it to perform malicious activities.
Some of the most common examples are banking scams due to using public Wi-Fi, or phishing sites that look like legitimate websites but steal your credentials.
How to protect yourself from man-in-the-middle attacks
Follow these tips to help you avoid becoming the next victim of a MitM attack:
- Use secure connections. You should try to visit websites that use HTTPS as much as possible. HTTPS is a secure connection that ensures your data is encrypted, making it harder for the hacker to intercept it.
- Do not use public Wi-Fi for sensitive transactions. You cannot be certain that the public Wi-Fi is protected as anyone can connect to it. This makes it easy for a hacker to exploit the public Wi-Fi and intercept your data. If you really need to use public Wi-Fi, use a VPN, especially when you are performing sensitive transactions like online banking.
- Update your device. Regularly update your device, ALL your devices. Updates usually include security fixes that will help you avoid any vulnerabilities that hackers can use to access your data.
- Use MFA. Multifactor authentication, or MFA, will make it harder for a hacker to get access to your account, even if they have your password.
Man-in-the-middle attacks are a real threat today but following these steps can help keep you safe online. Be secure and try to avoid public Wi-Fi!
