Your Two-Factor Authentication Is Not Secure

A new study says that 2FAs are not safe and are being hacked with no intervention from the user. The attack is known as “Man-in-the-Middle”.

Two-Factor authentication is considered the most effective security method, but a new study says it may not be as safe as it seems. Cyber attacks come in many different forms which evolve as counter-cybersecurity measures advance. In the past, hackers used to rely on the victim’s action gaining access by either clicking on a link, filling out a form, or engaging in some way. But new attacks, zero-click, and “man-in-the-middle” attacks require no action by a user.

Two-Factor authentication 2FA attacks are not new but the way they are being done is. New attacks are becoming extremely sophisticated, effective, and dangerous. Facial recognition, passwordless accounts, biometrics, and rotating keys are trying to replace 2FA, and one of the biggest problems with two-factor systems is that many users don’t even bother to set them up.

Related: Zero-Click iPhone Hack Has Google Security Team Worried

Researchers from the cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks and Stony Brook University have developed a machine learning classifier that beats new man-in-the-middle attacks. They explain that hackers are using this method to steal data while “mirroring” an online site that exchanges cookies with the victim. They concluded their security tool is 99.9% accurate. Surprisingly, they have captured data on 1,220 man-in-the-middle phishing websites.

Seals Hunt For The Man-in-the-Middle

Researchers found that MITM phishing toolkits have managed to escape phishing blocklists. Only 43.7% of the domains and 18.9% of IP addresses they discovered are on blocklists. The team showed how average users, who are not experts, are vulnerable to these attacks. The hack can go on for months without the user ever noticing it because it happens while the user navigates to usual websites.

The detection program the team developed can outsmart the camouflage mechanisms that hackers are using in these new methods. Their tool can also be used to stop attacks as they happen. “MITM phishing toolkits are the state of the art in phishing attacks today,” the team says.

The “no-action-required-to-be-hacked” trend continues to grow with new methods. MITM attacks can bypass JavaScript defenses and don’t go after passwords but after authentication cookies. The team calls their counter-cybersecurity attack tool PHOCA, Latin for Seal. “Seals are known to hunt hidden prey using vibrations generated by their breathing,” the team mastered in MITM attacks says.

Next: How To Go Totally Password Free On Microsoft Accounts

Source: Catching Transparent Phish

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