How does a MITM attack work and how can you protect yourself from it?

You may have been advised to cover your webcam or not click on any links on the internet, right? If you didn't know, these are some preventive measures against Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks.

Like most types of cyberattacks, MITM attacks aim to steal information, but they also target manipulating communications or even collecting private materials from users.

In this type of scam, the invasion happens silently—without the victim noticing the presence of the cybercriminal—and can affect both individuals and large companies. Scary, isn’t it? In this article, you'll understand how Man-in-the-Middle attacks work and, more importantly, how to protect yourself against them.

What is MITM?

Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks, as the name suggests, are cyberattacks that occur through interception between two legitimate devices without either party—user and websites or platforms—being aware.

Besides reading or manipulating information, MITM attacks can also be used to install malware on the victim's device, redirect internet traffic to fake or phishing pages.

It is important to note that MITM attacks are extremely difficult to detect because the victims' profiles are very diverse, and cybercriminals set traps on relevant sites, such as bank websites and email accounts.

How Does a MITM Attack Work?

MITM attacks operate through an intermediary in the communication between the victim and websites or platforms, allowing the cybercriminal to spy on and manipulate the information exchanged between the parties.

These attacks usually occur due to vulnerabilities in the system or technological infrastructure, such as lack of encryption, weak authentication, inadequate configurations, etc.

With that said, here are the main steps in the modus operandi of Man-in-the-Middle attacks:

1. Interception: The cybercriminal intercepts the communication between the two legitimate devices.
2. Spying: The hacker spies on the intercepted communications, collecting confidential information like passwords and personal data.
3. Modification: At this point, the content of the messages is altered or malicious commands are added.
4. Forwarding: The modified communications are sent to the legitimate devices, making it appear as if nothing is amiss.
5. Exploitation: The collected information and modifications made to the communications are used for malicious purposes.

Examples of Man-in-the-Middle Attacks

A point of entry is necessary before a cybercriminal can actually intercept communication between devices. To achieve this, some traps are used to give the hacker access to these systems. Here are some examples:

• Traffic Routing: The traffic of a legitimate connection is redirected to pass through the cybercriminal’s machine.
• Phishing: Cybercriminals send malicious messages that appear very genuine to get the person to perform an action that directs traffic to them.
• Certificate Attacks: A secure connection (HTTPS) is intercepted, and a fake certificate is provided to the legitimate devices.
• Data Packet Modification: The cybercriminal modifies the victim’s data packets.
• DNS Redirect: The victim’s traffic is redirected to a malicious server.
• SSL Stripping Attacks: The hacker removes the SSL/TLS encryption layer from a secure connection.
• Cookie Theft: The cybercriminal accesses and decodes cookies, gaining access to the information within them.

How to Avoid a MITM Attack?

The best way to avoid being targeted by a Man-in-the-Middle attack is to invest in cybersecurity, but there are also some best practices that can help in defense:

• Be Cautious with Emails: Email is commonly used as bait for cyberattacks, so be mindful of your contacts and messages, pay attention to details, ensure information is legitimate, and report strange messages as spam if necessary.
• Protect Your Wi-Fi: Home networks can also be targets of criminal interception. Create complex passwords and change them periodically.
• Avoid Public Wi-Fi for Important Tasks: It is not recommended to use public wireless networks, such as those in malls and airports, as they might be malicious networks controlled by cybercriminals.
• Use VPN: Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to encrypt your communications.
• Install Antivirus: Antivirus software is a great way to prevent attacks on devices, serving as a protective barrier against ransomware.

How to Protect Your Business from MITM Attacks?

Just as important as understanding what MITM is, is knowing how to protect your business from these threats. Therefore, investing in cybersecurity is the key to keeping your company safe from such scams.

The risks of a man-in-the-middle attack on businesses can range from leaks of confidential information and distortions in important communications to financial losses or data theft…

To keep your business secure, you need to go beyond the recommendations in the previous section and have an active information security system that identifies any abnormalities in your systems.

One way to invest in cybersecurity is through a Bug Bounty program, which functions as a reward system for finding vulnerabilities. This connects the company with a pool of information security experts who actively inspect your system for gaps that could be exploited in MITM attacks, for example.

Cool, right? Now that you know what a MITM attack is and how it works, how about going further and taking the first step towards cybersecurity?

If you want to learn more about how Bug Bounty can help keep your business secure, click this link and contact BugHunt—the first Bug Bounty platform in Brazil.