In Case You Missed Us: Man-In-The-Middle Attacks on Tech Talk on KTRS

A man-in-the-middle (MITM) cyber attack is a lot like a game of monkey in the middle you may have played as a child. This is when one message or transaction being sent to a determined location is intercepted and changed before it reaches the final destination. Our IT expert, Jeff Groby, went live at The Big 550 KTRS for Tech Talk to share more detail about this popular cyber attack and how to protect yourself from becoming a victim.

What is a MITM Attack?

The goal of a man-in-the-middle cyber attack is to intercept traffic coming from one device and send it to the original recipient without them knowing that someone has read and potentially altered the message.

Jeff mentioned that a lot of times this cyber attack involves a financial component. Many times, cyber criminals use this tactic to add their own cryptocurrency wallet or to redirect you to a malicious website to steal information. Websites and services like Venmo and PayPal can be popular targets since the sender and recipient are already aware that there is money being exchanged.

MITM attacks are also very common on public Wi-Fi networks. As mentioned in a previous Tech Talk, while public Wi-Fi is nice, it can also leave you very vulnerable without the right security in place. Jeff's best tips for ensuring you're using a safe public Wi-Fi connection are to make sure the connection is secure and to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to give yourself an extra layer of security.

Tips for Avoiding MITM Cyber Attacks

• Never share sensitive information with an unsecured website.
• Be aware of the common signs of a phishing attack or any emails that seem suspicious.
• Keep your antivirus up-to-date and run regular computer scans.
• Set up two-factor authentication on any accounts that will allow you to enable it.
• Use a VPN to secure your web traffic when using a public Wi-Fi connection.
• Don't allow your devices to connect to public Wi-Fi networks automatically. Make sure you are using trusted connections.

Tech Talk Presented by SumnerOne

Each week we are live at The Big 550 KTRS to talk about all things technology. Be sure to tune in this Friday afternoon a 4:20 to 550AM to get caught up. To learn more about SumnerOne and how we can help your Midwestern business to run more efficiently in 2019, give us a call.

 Originally published January 2, 2019, updated May 2, 2019