How to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks when browsing the web

2023, Nov 02

Common types of man-in-the-middle attacks

IP spoofing
In IP spoofing, attackers change or spoof IP addresses in the headers of TCP data packets as they are transmitted between two devices, and then redirect the traffic to the target. they have chosen, for example, a fake website. This is one of the most common methods used to gain access to a target's network.
DNS spoofing
When you type expressvpn.com into your browser's address bar, your computer performs a lookup of vpnrice.com's IP address in a global database called DNS (Domain Name System), a The data is similar to a phone book for websites. In a DNS spoofing attack, attackers intervene by changing DNS records and routing victims to a different website instead of the one they actually want to visit. DNS spoofing is also known as DNS spoofing and is a common form of DNS hijacking.
ARP spoofing
In ARP spoofing, the attacker interferes with the ARP (Address Resolution Protocol), a protocol used to map IP addresses to MAC (Media Access Control) addresses. An attacker changes the correspondence between IP addresses and MAC addresses by sending spoofed ARP messages over the local network. When an attacker's MAC address is linked to the IP address of a computer or server on the network, the attacker receives any data sent to that IP address, allowing them to access and control that data.
HTTPS spoofing
In HTTPS spoofing attacks, the attacker tries to trick the target by sending them to a fake website with a similar domain name to the authentic domain. To do this, they use special characters that resemble letters
SSL Hijacking
With SSL hijacking, an attacker intercepts connections and creates fake SSL/TLS certificates for the websites you visit. This fools victims into believing they are accessing a secure HTTPS website.
How to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks when browsing the web
1. Only visit HTTPS websites
The HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) protocol performs two main tasks: it encrypts data traffic between you and the website you visit, and provides authentication that that website is the exact website you visit. trying to access. You can easily check if a website uses HTTPS by checking the lock icon in your browser's address bar.
When it comes to protecting against man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks in the case of DNS, HTTPS is an important solution. To do this, the website owner needs to apply for and use an encryption certificate from a Certificate Authority (CA). This certificate and registration information is public, helping to ensure site integrity and authenticity. This allows for immediate detection when any certificate issues occur, as often happens with Google's website. You can easily check the CA certificate information of any website using Google's online transparency tool. This is as simple as entering the URL of that website.
HTTPS Everywhere for your browser

 

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has introduced a smart tool called "HTTPS Everywhere," which allows you to define rules for all the websites you visit and force your browser to use the HTTPS protocol. . This helps reduce the risk of missing unnecessary man-in-the-middle attacks.
HTTPS Everywhere is an extension for your browser, and you can even set up rules to deny all connections made using the HTTP protocol. However, it should be noted that this may cause some websites to become inactive. The HTTPS Everywhere tool is built into vpnrice.com browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Edge, helping you take advantage of this feature at your convenience.
2. Use a browser that supports HSTS

When implementing HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security) in the right way, it ensures that all future connections are not only encrypted but also authenticated using the same key. This means that even if there is suspicion or an attacker tries to trick the browser into an encrypted connection, the trick will not be successful.
Some famous websites have taken this a step further by convincing major browser developers to integrate a special rule into their software. This ensures that even for the first connection, communication uses an encrypted channel, putting security at the forefront.
How to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks on messages
1. Use off-the-record (OTR) messages

When an OTR (Off-the-Record) chat starts, encryption keys are exchanged between the users participating in the chat. However, if there is an attacker between two users, they can create two separate chats with the two victims, making them believe that they are chatting directly with each other.
Since there is no official Certificate Authority for OTR chat apps, two users need to manually verify their keys to ensure that they are chatting directly with each other. They can do this by publishing a list of their keys on their website, business cards, or communicating through secure channels that attackers cannot access.
2. Use an encrypted chat application
Chat applications, while providing encrypted chats between their users, also provide protection mechanisms against man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks. For example, in the Signal app, you can see a long series of numbers for each conversation by going to your contacts and selecting the "View Safe Numbers" option. This number is composed of one part of your private key's fingerprint and one part of your contact's fingerprint.
3. Use VPN
Instead of “trusting” the encryption key of the server you are connecting to for the first time, your VPN software comes pre-installed with its own certificate authority. Your VPN will only connect to servers that can present a signed certificate from the VPN provider.

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