Understanding
Man-in-the-Middle Attacks (MitM)
Intercepting traffic to steal credentials and other sensitive information
Attackers can use various techniques to listen to and manipulate your data
The most obvious ways to steal someone's password, or any data for that matter, is to simply intercept it in transit — just like wire-taping a phone.
Before HTTPS (S means secure) this was pretty trivial. For example, if someone was on an unencrypted WiFi network (think Starbucks), it was as easy as putting your WiFi adapter in promiscuous mode and simply looking at everything being sent, including passwords!
Since then, the defenses have gotten better, and so have the attacks.
Ultimately, the goal is the same — the attacker wants to put themselves in between you and the site that you are communicating with to observe your unencrypted traffic. To do this, they will always need two ingredients:
A position on the network between you and the intended recipient to observe the traffic from
A technique to decrypt the traffic to view the original text
Understanding
Man-in-the-Middle Attacks (MitM)
Intercepting traffic to steal credentials and other sensitive information
Attackers can use various techniques to listen to and manipulate your data
The most obvious ways to steal someone's password, or any data for that matter, is to simply intercept it in transit — just like wire-taping a phone.
Before HTTPS (S means secure) this was pretty trivial. For example, if someone was on an unencrypted WiFi network (think Starbucks), it was as easy as putting your WiFi adapter in promiscuous mode and simply looking at everything being sent, including passwords!
Since then, the defenses have gotten better, and so have the attacks.
Ultimately, the goal is the same — the attacker wants to put themselves in between you and the site that you are communicating with to observe your unencrypted traffic. To do this, they will always need two ingredients:
A position on the network between you and the intended recipient to observe the traffic from
A technique to decrypt the traffic to view the original text
Understanding
Man-in-the-Middle Attacks (MitM)
Intercepting traffic to steal credentials and other sensitive information
Attackers can use various techniques to listen to and manipulate your data
The most obvious ways to steal someone's password, or any data for that matter, is to simply intercept it in transit — just like wire-taping a phone.
Before HTTPS (S means secure) this was pretty trivial. For example, if someone was on an unencrypted WiFi network (think Starbucks), it was as easy as putting your WiFi adapter in promiscuous mode and simply looking at everything being sent, including passwords!
Since then, the defenses have gotten better, and so have the attacks.
Ultimately, the goal is the same — the attacker wants to put themselves in between you and the site that you are communicating with to observe your unencrypted traffic. To do this, they will always need two ingredients:
A position on the network between you and the intended recipient to observe the traffic from
A technique to decrypt the traffic to view the original text
Methods
Methods
Methods
Attack Techniques
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only. Allthenticate is committed to enhancing security awareness and readiness in the cybersecurity community. This content is intended to be used responsibly and ethically by security professionals, researchers, and organizations to improve their defensive capabilities.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only. Allthenticate is committed to enhancing security awareness and readiness in the cybersecurity community. This content is intended to be used responsibly and ethically by security professionals, researchers, and organizations to improve their defensive capabilities.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only. Allthenticate is committed to enhancing security awareness and readiness in the cybersecurity community. This content is intended to be used responsibly and ethically by security professionals, researchers, and organizations to improve their defensive capabilities.
ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) Spoofing:
On a local area network (LAN), an attacker can erroneously reply to an ARP request for the gateway with their own machine's address, which results in all of your computer's traffic going through them.
ARP spoofing could allow attackers to intercept sensitive data like login credentials or inject malicious code into communications. It compromises the integrity and confidentiality of data sent within the network.
ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) Spoofing:
On a local area network (LAN), an attacker can erroneously reply to an ARP request for the gateway with their own machine's address, which results in all of your computer's traffic going through them.
ARP spoofing could allow attackers to intercept sensitive data like login credentials or inject malicious code into communications. It compromises the integrity and confidentiality of data sent within the network.
ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) Spoofing:
On a local area network (LAN), an attacker can erroneously reply to an ARP request for the gateway with their own machine's address, which results in all of your computer's traffic going through them.
ARP spoofing could allow attackers to intercept sensitive data like login credentials or inject malicious code into communications. It compromises the integrity and confidentiality of data sent within the network.
DNS (Domain Name Service) Spoofing
By compromising DNS, an attacker can make any domain point to them -- www.good.com transparently becomes evil.
DNS spoofing can trick users into entering sensitive information (e.g., passwords, credit card details) into fake websites. It’s particularly dangerous because users often have no visible indication that they've been redirected.
Exploit tools
DNS (Domain Name Service) Spoofing
By compromising DNS, an attacker can make any domain point to them -- www.good.com transparently becomes evil.
DNS spoofing can trick users into entering sensitive information (e.g., passwords, credit card details) into fake websites. It’s particularly dangerous because users often have no visible indication that they've been redirected.
Exploit tools
DNS (Domain Name Service) Spoofing
By compromising DNS, an attacker can make any domain point to them -- www.good.com transparently becomes evil.
DNS spoofing can trick users into entering sensitive information (e.g., passwords, credit card details) into fake websites. It’s particularly dangerous because users often have no visible indication that they've been redirected.
Exploit tools
SSL Stripping
This downgrades HTTPS connections to unencrypted HTTP, making it easier to intercept data.
SSL stripping allows attackers to view and manipulate sensitive information (e.g., passwords, credit card details) that would normally be encrypted in transit. Users often don’t notice the lack of HTTPS, putting them at risk of data theft. Coupled with a relay attack, this attack can be particularly dangerous.
SSL Stripping
This downgrades HTTPS connections to unencrypted HTTP, making it easier to intercept data.
SSL stripping allows attackers to view and manipulate sensitive information (e.g., passwords, credit card details) that would normally be encrypted in transit. Users often don’t notice the lack of HTTPS, putting them at risk of data theft. Coupled with a relay attack, this attack can be particularly dangerous.
SSL Stripping
This downgrades HTTPS connections to unencrypted HTTP, making it easier to intercept data.
SSL stripping allows attackers to view and manipulate sensitive information (e.g., passwords, credit card details) that would normally be encrypted in transit. Users often don’t notice the lack of HTTPS, putting them at risk of data theft. Coupled with a relay attack, this attack can be particularly dangerous.
Relay Attack
The attacker will host a site that looks exactly like the intended site and simply relay the interactions to the real site, including passwords and 2FA codes.
This attack is particualy dangerous and is currently being exploited to steal credentials to modern websites. In this attack, everything looks and works correctly, but the attacker can actively sniff anything entered.
Exploit tools
Relay Attack
The attacker will host a site that looks exactly like the intended site and simply relay the interactions to the real site, including passwords and 2FA codes.
This attack is particualy dangerous and is currently being exploited to steal credentials to modern websites. In this attack, everything looks and works correctly, but the attacker can actively sniff anything entered.
Exploit tools
Relay Attack
The attacker will host a site that looks exactly like the intended site and simply relay the interactions to the real site, including passwords and 2FA codes.
This attack is particualy dangerous and is currently being exploited to steal credentials to modern websites. In this attack, everything looks and works correctly, but the attacker can actively sniff anything entered.
Exploit tools
Evil Twin Wi-Fi
Attackers set up rogue Wi-Fi access points that mimic legitimate ones, capturing all traffic that passes through.
Users connect to the fake access point thinking it’s a legitimate network, unknowingly exposing all their internet activity to the attacker, including sensitive information like passwords and banking details.
Exploit tools
Evil Twin Wi-Fi
Attackers set up rogue Wi-Fi access points that mimic legitimate ones, capturing all traffic that passes through.
Users connect to the fake access point thinking it’s a legitimate network, unknowingly exposing all their internet activity to the attacker, including sensitive information like passwords and banking details.
Exploit tools
Evil Twin Wi-Fi
Attackers set up rogue Wi-Fi access points that mimic legitimate ones, capturing all traffic that passes through.
Users connect to the fake access point thinking it’s a legitimate network, unknowingly exposing all their internet activity to the attacker, including sensitive information like passwords and banking details.
Exploit tools
Why Traditional Defenses Fall Short
Why Traditional Defenses Fall Short
Why Traditional Defenses Fall Short
Historically, standard encryption like HTTPS could be bypassed through SSL stripping downgrade attacks. Today, even two-factor authentication can be intercepted by a Web Relay MitM or by leveraging a compromised Certificate Authority. Every HTTPS site is one compromised CA and a DNS attack away from completely broken.
Historically, standard encryption like HTTPS could be bypassed through SSL stripping downgrade attacks. Today, even two-factor authentication can be intercepted by a Web Relay MitM or by leveraging a compromised Certificate Authority. Every HTTPS site is one compromised CA and a DNS attack away from completely broken.
How Allthenticate Defends Against This
How Allthenticate Defends Against This
How Allthenticate Defends Against This
Allthenticate eliminates the the risk of MitM
By using asymmetric encryption and pinning long-term certificates for both the client and server, you can ensure that all of the communication is protected, even in the face of the most sophisticated MitM.
Long-term Certificate Pinning
Your phone and the resource (e.g., a webserver, computer, or door) are paired by exchanging public keys
Every subsequent connection can be mutually authenticated with these shared keys
These keys can be used to establish a secure, authenticated connection — even in the face of a MitM attack
End-to-end Encryption
Allthenticate technology generates a secure session from the phones Trusted Execution Environment to the resource and does not depend on any secure communication protocols. You can confidently communicate over unencrypted networks without any risk of your authentication being compromised.
Fully Decentralized
Since Allthenticate's technology is built on a fully-decentralized architecture it is not dependent on the security of centralized, third-party services like DNS and Certificate Authorities. If the two parties are not compromised, you will be secure.
Your Secrets Are Safe
Your private keys are stored in your phone's Secure Element - a dedicated security chip designed to resist both software and physical attacks - and they never leave. Even if an attacker compromises your phone's software or intercepts all of your traffic, they cannot extract these keys.
Secure Element
Secure Element
A hardened cryptographic chip in your phone to securely store private keys that is resistant against physical attacks
Trusted Execution Environment
Trusted Execution Environment
Hardware-backed isolation to enable trusted interactions with the phone and protect against software attacks
Secure your organization by eliminating entire classes of vulnerabilities with Allthenticate.
Secure your organization by eliminating entire classes of vulnerabilities with Allthenticate.