{"id":7177,"date":"2021-11-16T09:21:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-16T17:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cheapsslsecurity.com\/blog\/?p=7177"},"modified":"2021-11-22T09:21:46","modified_gmt":"2021-11-22T17:21:46","slug":"man-in-the-middle-attack-prevention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cheapsslsecurity.com\/blog\/man-in-the-middle-attack-prevention\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Man In the Middle Attack Prevention Methods to Use Now"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Hiscox Cyber Readiness Report 2021<\/a> states that one in six firms attacked by cybercriminals in the last year faced a survival crisis and that the average firm now spends 21% of its IT budget on cyber security (63% more than in 2020). Man in the middle attacks are some of the most difficult types of cyberattacks to detect and can do a lot of damage \u2014 let\u2019s look at what you can do to protect yourself and your business. <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the wake of 9\/11, the United States government passed the Patriot Act<\/a>, granting the government the right to carry out surveillance on its own citizens without a warrant. In the 20 years since then, many US citizens have fought against these measures in favor of privacy. Whistleblowers<\/a> like Edward Snowden exposed to the world the extent of mass data collection by the NSA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the case of the NSA, it\u2019s the \u2018good guys\u2019 listening to our conversations. But even so, many people don\u2019t like it. Imagine the bad guys doing the same thing \u2014 it\u2019s a pretty scary thought. When someone intercepts our data and communications in transit so they can use it for malicious purposes, it\u2019s called a man in the middle attack<\/a>. This is why it\u2019s crucial to know how to prevent a man in the middle attack and what the best man in the middle attack prevention methods are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We previously looked at what man in the middle attacks are, how they work, and some different types of man in the middle attack. Now, let\u2019s explore how to prevent a man in the middle attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9 Man in the Middle Attack Prevention Methods<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the most unsettling aspect of a man in the middle attack is that it is hard to detect and can remain undetected for a long time. Needless to say, prevention is always better than the cure. That\u2019s why we\u2019re going to jump straight into our list of man in the middle attack prevention methods so you know how to prevent man in the middle attacks from occurring in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Encrypt Your Data in Transit with SSL\/TLS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

First on our list of man in the middle attack prevention methods is to use the secure hypertext transfer protocol (HTTPS). One of the most efficient ways to secure your website and web app data in transit is by enabling HTTPS, which is what makes the security padlock appear in your browser\u2019s URL bar. This involves the use of an SSL\/TLS certificate, which fulfills two main purposes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Authenticates the identity of the website owner, and<\/li>
  2. Establishes a secure channel to transmit data between a client and the server using encryption.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    An SSL certificate enables two parties to communicate using asymmetric encryption. This process allows them to encrypt and decrypt data with two cryptographic keys: one public and one private. The data is encrypted using the public key and can only be decrypted with the private key, which only a legitimate receiver has access to. So, even if a bad guy can take a peek at your data stream in transit, they won\u2019t be able to decrypt it without having access to the private key, so it will be unusable to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The two communicating parties use asymmetric encryption to exchange information so they can establish a symmetrically encrypted connection. Symmetric encryption is faster than asymmetric encryption because it relies on a single key to both encrypt and decrypt data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Recognizing the importance of SSL\/TLS certificates in the secure transmission of data, many browsers like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox now mark websites without SSL certificates as \u201cNot Secure.\u201d Search engines also reward websites that use SSL\/TLS certificates with higher search rankings, which has pushed many website owners to use SSL certificates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"man<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    An illustration of how an SSL\/TLS certificate prevents a man in the middle attacks by securing the communication channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. Employ DNS Over HTTPS (DoH) or DNS over TLS (DoT)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The domain name system (DNS) is a system where domain names (like \u201ccheapsslsecurity.com\u201d or \u201cwikipedia.org) are converted into internet protocol (P) addresses for faster identification. IP addresses are the numeric values assigned to each device. When a client asks for a particular website, the browser make a DNS request using the TCP protocol<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The problem arises when a criminal \u201csniffs\u201d the packets to hunt for DNS entries. If they are successful, they can carry out a man in the middle attack. To counter this situation, the good guys have come up with a plan of their own. If a DNS query is sent through HTTPS or TLS to DoH-compatible servers, it\u2019s encrypted. This means it\u2019s impossible for cybercriminals to read without having access to the necessary decryption key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Employing DoH or DoT will prevent the types of man in the middle attacks where the domain name system or its records are compromised, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n