In a man-in-the-middle attack, an attacker pretends to be the other to two communication partners. The cybercriminal attacker stands physically or logically between the two partners and attempts to tap communication data (data theft) or manipulate it.
Man-in-the-middle and WiFi networks
In terms of enterprise mobility, the use of a public WiFi hotspot is particularly relevant for man-in-the-middle attacks. Attackers can use their own hardware to set up a fake WiFi router in a café, for example. If the victim then connects his mobile device to this router, data can be tapped and/or manipulated. In times of mobile working, it is important for IT security reasons to sensitize employees to mobile security.