What is Replay Attack?
A replay attack is a kind of network attack where a middle person enters and captures the traffics and messages sent over a network, delays it, and then resends it to mislead the receiver into doing what the hacker wants. This kind of attack doesn’t even require the hacker to decrypt the message or high-end skills. Take for example where Mark asks his friends James to lend him some amount via a text message. James might have sent the amount. Suppose, if the same is intercepted by an attacker, he will send the same message to James asking for the amount as Mark which James might send again if he believes so. This is how Replay attacks happen. This kind of attack happens everywhere online like while you are shopping with your cards, logging into social media accounts, company accounts, etc. The attackers just know the data exchange and replay it with malicious intent.
How do you prevent Replay Attack?
There are different ways using which you can prevent these kinds of attacks. Let’s get into the details of each method.
1] Use OTPs
One-time passwords or OTPs are the most secure way to safeguard yourself online. It ensures that even with the replay the attacker cannot resend them as it needs an OTP to access. This can prevent replay attacks and safeguard your data.
2] Using HTTPS Protocols
Log in to websites with HTTPS protocols enabled. There are many trustworthy web browser extensions available that make sure only the HTTPS version of the website is loaded.
3] Use a VPN
Virtual Private Networks or VPNs send you traffic data through separate tunnels with good-level of encryption. No one can read the data that is transferred through VPN tunnels. It is one of the secure ways to use the internet as it provides security from many things on the internet. Even the VPNs help you stay secure while using a public-WiFi.
4] Use a timestamp
Another way to prevent replay attacks is to add a timestamp that’s valid only for a short period of time. It will eliminate the possibility of replaying by the attacker even after intercepting it.
5] Use a Session Key
It involves the use of complete random session keys that are valid for a single transaction. The session key contains special codes which cannot be predicted or bypassed. This makes it hard to perform a replay attack. These are the different ways using which you can prevent replay attacks. Read: What is Buffer Overflow Attack?
Are Replay attacks common?
Replay attacks are very common and they are in news almost every day. The majority of replay attacks are happening where it involves money transfers. We need to be alert to be safe from such attacks. Read: What is Man-In-The-Middle Attack (MITM)
What is Replay attack with example?
A replay attack is nothing but a person delivering the same message pretending as you to the recipient, after some time. The recipient believes that it is you who sent the message and performs what the attacker wants. An example of this is when you log in to a website and an attacker intercepts it, he will replay the login credentials after some time and takes over your account without knowing you. Read: Secure yourself, avoid online scams and know when to trust a website!
