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Attacks

Man-in-the-Middle

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

Attacks

Man-in-the-Middle

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

Attacks

Man-in-the-Middle

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

Attacks

Overview

Attacks

Overview

Attack Techniques

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.

Exploit tools

Dnsspoof, DNSChef, Ettercap

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.

Exploit tools

Dnsspoof, DNSChef, Ettercap

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.

Exploit tools

Dnsspoof, DNSChef, Ettercap

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

Ettercap, Cain & Abel, Bettercap

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

Ettercap, Cain & Abel, Bettercap

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.

Exploit tools

SSLStrip, Bettercap, Ettercap

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.

Exploit tools

SSLStrip, Bettercap, Ettercap

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 particularly dangerous and is currently being exploited to steal credentials to modern websites. In this attack, everything appears and functions correctly, but the attacker can actively intercept and capture any data entered.

Exploit tools

Evilginx

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 particularly dangerous and is currently being exploited to steal credentials to modern websites. In this attack, everything appears and functions correctly, but the attacker can actively intercept and capture any data entered.

Exploit tools

Evilginx

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

Aircrack-ng, WiFi Pumpkin, Karma Attack

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

Aircrack-ng, WiFi Pumpkin, Karma Attack

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.

Attacks

Overview

Attacks

Overview

Allthenticate eliminates the risk of MitM

Allthenticate eliminates 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.

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 web server, 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.

See Pricing

Learn More

Secure your organization by eliminating entire classes of vulnerabilities with Allthenticate.

See Pricing

Learn More