What are Man-in-the-Middle Attacks?

June 18, 2026

Cybersecurity might as well have its own language. There are so many acronyms, terms, sayings that cybersecurity professionals and threat actors both use that unless you are deeply knowledgeable, have experience in the security field or have a keen interest, one may not know. Understanding what these acronyms and terms mean is the first step to developing a thorough understanding of cybersecurity and in turn better protecting yourself, clients, and employees.

In this blog series, we aim to explain and simplify some of the most commonly used terms. Previously, we have covered bullet proof hosting, CVEs, APIs, brute force attacks, zero-day exploits, doxing, data harvesting, IoCs, credential stuffing, ransomware as a service, push bombing, web application attacks. In this edition, we dive into man-in-the-middle attacks.

While the concept itself is straightforward, the digital execution can be incredibly sophisticated. Let’s explore what a man-in-the-middle attack is, how threat actors pull it off, and how you can protect your data from being intercepted.

Quick Stats to Set the Scene

Man-in-the-middle attacks may not generate the same headlines as ransomware or major data breaches, but they remain a significant threat across the cybercrime ecosystem. These statistics highlight a simple reality: while many organizations focus on attacks against endpoints and applications, data in transit remains a highly valuable target for cybercriminals.

Industry reports suggest nearly 58% of all posts on criminal forums and marketplaces contain banking data of others collected by MITM or other attack types.
Estimates show that 35% of exploitation activity involves man-in-the-middle attacks.
MITM attacks continue to evolve alongside cloud adoption, mobile devices, and remote work environments, creating new opportunities for attackers to intercept sensitive communications.

Man-in-the-Middle Attacks 101

A Man-in-the-Middle Attack (MitM) is an attack that compromises the communication between the two parties who believe that they are communicating directly with each other. Instead of data moving directly from a user to a website, application, or service, the attacker inserts themselves into the connection to observe, steal, or manipulate information being transmitted, placing themselves “in the middle.”

The goal of an MitM attack is to compromise the CIA Triad, specifically violating confidentiality (by reading private data) and integrity (by altering the data in transit). Threat actors use these attacks to steal credentials, account details, credit card numbers, to inject malware into a victim’s system, or to create a smokescreen for an advanced attack. Depending on the technique used, victims may never realize their traffic was compromised.

Confidentiality: is your sensitive information only accessible to those authorized to see it?
- Common Threats: phishing, ma-in-the-middle attacks, human error
Integrity: is your data authentic, accurate, and reliable?
- Common Threats: man-in-the-middle attacks, human error, malware, hardware/software glitches

When you type a web address into your browser, your device trusts the local network to direct it to the correct destination. Threat actors exploit this trust using a couple of distinct phases: Interception and Decryption.

First, the attacker must get between the victim and their network destination. This can happen through compromised Wi-Fi networks, malicious routers, spoofed websites, DNS manipulation, or malware infections. Public Wi-Fi networks are a common target because users often connect without verifying the legitimacy or security of the network. Once traffic passes through the attacker-controlled system, the threat actor can monitor the communication in real time. After gaining access to credentials, cookies, or authentication tokens, attackers may impersonate the victim and gain unauthorized access to accounts or systems.

Common Types of Man-in-the-Middle Attacks

ARP Spoofing: Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) links IP addresses to physical MAC addresses on a local network. An attacker sends fake ARP messages to link their own MAC address with a legitimate server’s IP address. Suddenly, all data meant for the server goes to the attacker first.

Wi-Fi Eavesdropping / Rogue Access Points: An attacker sets up a malicious, free public Wi-Fi network with a common name (like “Free Airport Wi-Fi”). When a user connects, the attacker can view all unencrypted traffic flowing through the router.

DNS Spoofing (DNS Cache Poisoning): Attackers alter a DNS server or a device’s local cache to route a user to a fraudulent website that looks identical to a legitimate one (like a banking portal), allowing them to steal credentials.

Session Hijacking: Attackers steal session cookies or authentication tokens to impersonate legitimate users without needing their password.

SSL Stripping: SSL stripping downgrades secure HTTPS connections to unencrypted HTTP communications. This enables attackers to intercept information that users assume is encrypted.

Man in the Middle Attacks in the Wild

Public Wi-Fi Credential Theft

While individual incidents often go unreported, cybersecurity firms routinely observe threat actors creating fake Wi-Fi networks that mimic legitimate hotel, airport, and conference, coffee shop wireless networks. Unsuspecting users connect to these networks and unknowingly expose login credentials, emails, and sensitive corporate traffic. These attacks remain one of the most common real-world examples of man-in-the-middle activity because they require relatively little sophistication and can affect large numbers of victims.

MyEtherWallet BGP Hijacking (2018)

In 2018, attackers hijacked internet routing to redirect users attempting to access MyEtherWallet. Victims were presented with a fraudulent SSL certificate and redirected to attacker-controlled infrastructure, allowing credentials and wallet information to be captured. The incident resulted in the theft of cryptocurrency and demonstrated how internet infrastructure attacks can facilitate man-in-the-middle operations.

Iranian Cyber-Espionage Campaign Using Fraudulent SSL Certificates (2011)

In 2011, attackers compromised Dutch certificate authority DigiNotar and generated fraudulent SSL certificates for domains including Google. Security researchers and Google reported that the certificates were used in man-in-the-middle attacks targeting users in Iran, allowing attackers to intercept supposedly secure communications such as Gmail traffic. Investigators later estimated that as many as 300,000 Iranian users may have been affected, making it one of the most significant documented MitM attacks ever discovered.

Protection and Mitigation

The common thread across MitM is trust: attackers succeed when they can convince victims—or their devices—that malicious communications are legitimate. Organizations and individuals can significantly reduce risk by following security best practices:

Use HTTPS: Always verify websites use HTTPS encryption. Modern browsers warn users about insecure connections, but users should still validate certificates and domains before entering credentials.
Avoid Untrusted Public Wi-Fi: Public wireless networks increase exposure to interception attacks. If you must use public Wi-Fi, always use a reputable Virtual Private Network (VPN) to securely tunnel and encrypt your traffic.
Implement Strong Wi-Fi Security: Ensure your home and office networks use strong encryption protocols (like WPA3) and change default router admin credentials immediately.
Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Even if an attacker steals login credentials via an MitM attack, MFA acts as an extra layer of defense, making it much harder for them to gain access.
Keep Systems Updated: Security patches help close vulnerabilities attackers may exploit to conduct interception or session hijacking attacks.
Use VPNs: Virtual Private Networks encrypt internet traffic and reduce the risk of traffic interception on untrusted networks.
Monitor for Suspicious Network Activity: Organizations should implement network monitoring and anomaly detection to identify unauthorized devices, DNS changes, or unusual traffic patterns.
Implement Endpoint Protection: Ensure your corporate devices utilize robust endpoint detection software capable of identifying network anomalies, rogue certificates, and localized ARP spoofing attempts.
Train Employees on Phishing and Network Security: Many MitM attacks begin with social engineering or fake infrastructure designed to appear trustworthy. Security awareness training helps reduce successful compromises.

Security is a holistic culture, not just a software update. By understanding how threat actors operate and protecting both the physical and digital layers of your defense, you can ensure your data remains confidential, secure, and out of the middle.