What Is An Eavesdropping Attack?
An eavesdropping attack, also known as a sniffing or snooping attack, involves the theft of information during its transmission over a network involving computers, smartphones, or other connected devices.
The attack targets unsecured network communications, intercepting data while it is sent or received by the user.
Key Takeaways
- Eavesdropping Attacks: Theft of sensitive data during transmission.
- Prevention Methods: Use a personal firewall, keep antivirus software updated, utilize a virtual private network (VPN).
- Best Practices: Avoid public Wi-Fi, employ strong passwords, update your passwords frequently.
Eavesdropping might sound harmless, but attackers are often after valuable financial and business information for criminal use. There’s also a market for “spouseware,” designed to eavesdrop on loved ones by spying on their smartphone activity.
Decoding the Eavesdropping Attack
These attacks can be hard to detect because network operations appear normal. They exploit weak connections, rerouting traffic so the attacker can install network monitoring, or a ‘sniffer,’ software on the device to intercept data.
Smart devices, including Amazon Alexa and Google Home, are especially vulnerable to such attacks due to their constant connection to the internet.
Any device on the network, from the initial transmitter to the receiver, is a potential weak spot.
How to Thwart an Eavesdropping Attack
Prevention involves vigilant measures like using personal firewalls, updating antivirus software, and operating layers of protection through VPNs.
Implementing and frequently updating strong passwords is crucial. Avoid ubiquitous passwords across multiple platforms.
Especially avoid public Wi-Fi networks in places like cafes and airports for sensitive transactions. These are soft spots for eavesdroppers, who can gain easy network access to monitor and steal data using commonly available software tools.
Virtual Assistants: Spy Devices?
Devices like Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home can also be compromised due to their ‘always-on’ nature, making them subtleties challenging to secure consistently.
Instances where companies involuntarily snooped on users often stemmed from botched speech recognition accidents.
Dodging the Danger of Dodgy Links
Keep your smartphone’s operating system updated to its latest available version, though timely updates depend on the vendor.
Despite practicing the best safety measures, you still need to be cautious daily. Steer clear of suspicious links; these could load malware onto your device. Only download apps from endorsed stores like Apple or Android.
Related Terms: network monitoring, sniffing, snooping, data interception, microsites, spouseware, Google Home, Amazon Alexa.
References
- Spouseware. “Home Page”.
- Verizon. “What Are Eavesdropping Attacks?”
- Federal Trade Commission. “Dangerous Skills Got Certified: Measuring the Trustworthiness of Amazon Alexa Platform”, Page 1.
- Federal Trade Commission. “How to Safely Use Public Wi-Fi Networks”.
