How Common Are Man in the Middle Attacks

While the widespread adoption of HTTPS and browser-based security warnings have reduced the potential threat of some man-in-the-middle attacks, these attacks are still viable. 

The Threat Intelligence Index 2018 report from IBM’s X-Force found that 35% of exploitation activity involved attackers attempting to conduct MitM attacks. While MitM attacks were not featured in their 2021 report, there is a fair chance that these types of attacks will become more prominent in the future. 

The reason? 5G and Internet of Things devices.

A 2019 report from Opensky and the Ponemon institute found that the inability to avoid security exploits and data breaches is one of the biggest IoT challenges for 60% of cybersecurity practitioners in the United States. 

IoT devices provide a unique level of risk thanks to a combination of their access to the network and a lack of robust security standards for IoT device manufacturers. For example, a seemingly innocuous IoT sensor that helped a casino manage its aquarium became an entry point for a data breach that resulted in an information leak about the casino’s high-rollers. 

Despite this, the rapid proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices are expected to skyrocket thanks to advancements in 5G wireless internet connections. The inconsistent security standards of these devices and potential 5G vulnerabilities could lead to a resurgence in the use of MitM attacks, as witnessed in a demonstration at the Black Hat 2019 conference.