Security
Intermediate
What is Man-in-the-Middle Attack?
An attack where the attacker secretly intercepts and potentially alters communication between two parties who believe they are communicating directly.
MITM attackers position themselves between client and server, intercepting all traffic. On unencrypted networks, they can read passwords, session tokens, and sensitive data. Advanced attacks can intercept HTTPS by presenting fake certificates.
Prevention includes HTTPS everywhere, certificate pinning, HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security), secure WiFi (WPA3), VPNs on public networks, and validating certificate chains. Public WiFi is particularly vulnerable to MITM attacks.
