Man-in-the-middle

A man-in-the-middle attack happens when an attacker secretly sits between you and a website or person and reads or changes what passes through.

Man-in-the-middle: A man-in-the-middle attack is when someone quietly places themselves between two parties who think they are talking directly, for example you and your bank website. The attacker can read, copy or change messages as they pass, often through a rogue Wi-Fi network.

The attacker usually reaches the middle position through a fake or hacked Wi-Fi network, a hacked router or a malicious certificate installed on your device. They can then try to capture logins on pages that are not encrypted, or push you toward a lookalike page that records what you type. The attacker may also be a person on the same cafe network using simple tools, so you do not need to be a special target.

HTTPS and end-to-end encryption make this much harder, because the data is scrambled between you and the real site. Warnings about invalid certificates are often the only sign. Never ignore them. Do not install unknown certificates or profiles, avoid public Wi-Fi for payments and keep your router updated. It can happen in a few seconds, and you may notice nothing unusual on your screen.

Tips

• Do not tap proceed when your browser warns about a certificate on a banking or UPI page.
• Never install a certificate or profile from a stranger or a Wi-Fi sign-in page.
• Keep your router updated and its admin password changed.

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