A Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack is a type of Cyber Security attack where an attacker intercepts and modifies communications between two parties without their knowledge. This is done by positioning themselves between the two parties, allowing them to see and potentially alter any information that is exchanged.
Types of MitM (Man-in-the-Middle) attack
There are different types of MitM attacks depending o the way it can be carried out.
ARP Spoofing:
ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) Spoofing is a type of Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack where an attacker sends fake ARP messages to a network in order to map an attacker’s MAC address to the IP address of a legitimate device on the network. This allows the attacker to intercept and modify traffic between other devices on the network.
This method involves spoofing the Media Access Control (MAC) address of a device on the network, allowing the attacker to intercept and modify traffic between other devices on the network.
Let’s understand it in more detail. When a device on a network wants to communicate with another device, it sends out an ARP request to find the MAC address associated with a specific IP address. The device with the matching IP address will respond with its MAC address. With an ARP spoofing attack, the attacker sends fake ARP messages to the network, associating their own MAC address with the IP address of a legitimate device, such as a router or a server. This causes other devices on the network to send their traffic to the attacker’s device instead of the legitimate device.
Because ARP is a stateless protocol and it doesn’t provide any authentication, it’s very easy to perform this type of attack, and it can be used to perform other types of attacks, such as eavesdropping, modifying or injecting data packets, and even launching a Denial of Service (DoS) attack.
Mitigation Strategy of ARP Spoofing
To mitigate ARP spoofing, network administrators can use ARP inspection, which is a security feature that validates ARP packets and drops any suspicious packets. Additionally, some firewalls and VPN solutions can also help to detect and prevent ARP spoofing attacks.
There are several mitigation strategies for ARP spoofing, including:
- Using static ARP entries: This involves manually configuring the ARP table on devices to only accept ARP responses from specific, known devices.
- Using ARP filtering: This involves configuring devices to only accept ARP responses from devices that have been previously seen on the network.
- Using ARP inspection: This involves using a device, such as a switch or router, to inspect ARP packets and ensure that they conform to the expected behavior.
- Using ARP spoof detection software: This involves using software that can detect and alert on ARP spoofing attempts.
- Using VPN or VLAN: This involves creating a separate network segment, or virtual network, that is isolated from the rest of the network, which can reduce the risk of ARP spoofing attacks.
Using secure protocols such as DHCP snooping, IP source guard, and dynamic ARP inspection (DAI) to validate the ARP packets and prevent attacks. Regularly updating your network devices to the latest firmware version to protect against known vulnerabilities.
DNS Spoofing
DNS Spoofing, also known as DNS cache poisoning or DNS hijacking, is a type of cyber attack in which an attacker manipulates the Domain Name System (DNS) to redirect Internet traffic from legitimate websites to malicious or fake ones. This can be accomplished by corrupting the DNS cache on a DNS server or a device that is performing DNS resolution, such as a computer or router.
So, this method involves redirecting users to a fake version of a website by intercepting and modifying DNS requests.
Once an attacker has successfully spoofed the DNS, they can redirect traffic to a website that looks similar to the legitimate one, but is under the attacker’s control. This can be used for phishing attacks, where the attacker attempts to steal sensitive information such as login credentials or credit card information from unsuspecting users. DNS spoofing can also be used to launch man-in-the-middle attacks, where an attacker intercepts and alters traffic between a user and a legitimate website.
DNS spoofing is a serious threat because it can compromise the security and integrity of sensitive information, disrupt access to legitimate websites, and even lead to data breaches. It is important to be aware of the potential risks of DNS spoofing and take steps to protect yourself and your organization from this type of attack.
Mitigation Strategy of DNS Spoofing
There are several mitigation strategies for DNS spoofing, including:
- Using DNSSEC: This is a security extension to the DNS protocol that uses digital signatures to authenticate DNS data and prevent spoofing.
- Using DNS filtering: This involves configuring devices to only accept DNS responses from specific, known DNS servers.
- Using a DNS firewall: This involves using a device, such as a firewall, to inspect DNS traffic and block malicious DNS requests.
- Use of a private DNS server: This involves using a DNS server that is only accessible to specific devices or users, rather than using a public DNS server.
- Using secure protocols such as DNS-over-TLS (DoT) and DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) to encrypt DNS traffic, preventing eavesdropping and tampering.
Regularly updating your network devices to the latest firmware version to protect against known vulnerabilities. Security awareness training for employees on how to identify and avoid phishing emails that may contain spoofed DNS links. Keeping the anti-virus and anti-malware software updated on all systems can help in detecting and blocking any malicious traffic attempting to spoof DNS requests.
SSL Stripping
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and its successor, TLS (Transport Layer Security), are cryptographic protocols that provide secure communication over the internet. However, SSL stripping is a type of man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack where an attacker intercepts and removes the SSL or TLS encryption from an HTTPS connection.
This method involves removing the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption from an HTTPS connection, allowing the attacker to see and potentially modify any information exchanged between the user and the website.
There are several different types of SSL stripping, including:
1. SSL stripping attacks: This type of SSL stripping attack intercepts an HTTPS connection and downgrades it to an HTTP connection, allowing the attacker to see and potentially modify any information exchanged between the user and the website.
2. SSL stripping Proxies: This type of SSL stripping attack uses a proxy server to intercept and remove the SSL or TLS encryption from an HTTPS connection.
3. SSL stripping Man-in-the-middle: This type of SSL stripping attack uses a MitM attack to intercept and remove the SSL or TLS encryption from an HTTPS connection.
4. SSL stripping through Network-based attacks: This type of SSL stripping attack uses various network-based attacks like ARP spoofing, DNS spoofing, and DHCP spoofing to intercept and remove the SSL or TLS encryption from an HTTPS connection.
5. SSL stripping through browser-based attacks: This type of SSL stripping attack uses various browser-based attacks like browser extensions, browser plugins, and browser scripts to intercept and remove the SSL or TLS encryption from an HTTPS connection.
It’s important to note that SSL stripping can be particularly dangerous because it allows attackers to steal sensitive information, such as login credentials and financial information, and because it can be difficult to detect. To mitigate SSL stripping, it is recommended to use a secure connection such as HTTPS, and use security measures like SSL pinning and certificate pinning, to ensure that the connection is not tampered with.
Mitigation Strategy of SSL Stripping
There are several mitigation strategies that can be used to protect against SSL stripping attacks, including:
- Using HTTPS: This is the most basic and effective way to prevent SSL stripping. By using HTTPS, the communication between the user and the website is encrypted, making it more difficult for an attacker to intercept and remove the encryption.
- SSL pinning: This technique involves hard-coding the public key of the certificate into the application. This will ensure that the certificate can only be used if it is signed by the hard-coded public key.
- Certificate pinning: This technique involves hard-coding the certificate into the application. This will ensure that the certificate can only be used if it matches the hard-coded certificate.
- Public Key Pinning (HPKP): This technique allows a website to instruct the browser to remember its certificate for a certain period of time, so that if the certificate changes, the browser will reject it.
- Using a Content Distribution Network (CDN): A CDN can act as a reverse proxy, it can encrypt the communication between the user and the website, making it more difficult for an attacker to intercept and remove the encryption.
- Using a VPN: A VPN can encrypt the communication between the user and the website, making it more difficult for an attacker to intercept and remove the encryption.
- Using a SSL/TLS Inspection: Some firewalls or network-based security solutions can inspect SSL/TLS traffic and detect and block SSL stripping attacks.
- Educating Users: Users should be educated on how to recognize and avoid phishing and malicious sites and also be advised to use a browser extension that can detect SSL stripping attacks.
It’s important to keep in mind that SSL stripping attacks are constantly evolving, so it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest mitigation techniques and to regularly review and update your security measures.
MitM attacks can be particularly dangerous because they allow attackers to steal sensitive information, such as login credentials and financial information, and because they can be difficult to detect. It’s worth noting that no single mitigation strategy is foolproof, so organizations should consider implementing a combination of these methods to effectively protect their networks from MitM attacks.