What is data interception?
Definition
Data interception is when someone secretly captures information while it travels between two parties, such as your device and a website, so they can read it or change it before it arrives.
- Category
- Attacks
- Also called
- interception attack, eavesdropping
- Last updated
Your data is most exposed while it is moving: a login sent to a website, a message, a card number at checkout. Data interception means an attacker gets in the path and grabs that traffic.
The best-known form is the man-in-the-middle attack. NIST describes it as an attack in which an attacker is positioned between two communicating parties in order to intercept and/or alter the data traveling between them. Some interception only reads the data (eavesdropping). Some also changes it.
An example
You connect to a fake Wi-Fi network with a name that looks like the cafe's. Everything you send goes through the attacker's equipment first. If a site or app doesn't encrypt that traffic, the attacker can read passwords or session details and reuse them.
Why it matters
Intercepted logins and personal details feed account takeover, fraud and identity theft. It often goes unnoticed because the page you wanted still loads.
Data interception vs. related terms
- A data breach is data taken from where it is stored. Interception takes it in transit.
- Phishing tricks you into handing data over. Interception needs no action from you beyond using a network or connection the attacker controls.
- Spoofing is faking an identity (a Wi-Fi name, a website). It is often how an attacker gets into the middle.
How to protect yourself
- 1
Check for HTTPS
Enter passwords and card numbers only on pages that load over HTTPS, and don't click through browser warnings about certificates.
- 2
Be careful with public Wi-Fi
Avoid banking or logging in to important accounts on open networks, or use your phone's mobile data instead. Confirm the network name with staff.
- 3
Use two-step verification
If a password is intercepted, a second factor stops the attacker from signing in with it alone.
- 4
Keep devices updated
Updates fix flaws in how devices and apps handle encrypted connections.
- 5
Reduce what can be used against you
Intercepted details are worth more when they match public records. Serus finds where your address and phone number are listed and removes them.
See where your personal data is exposed
Serus finds it on data brokers and people-search sites and removes it.
Frequently asked
Is data interception the same as a man-in-the-middle attack?
A man-in-the-middle attack is the most common way to intercept data, but interception is the broader idea of capturing data in transit.
How can I tell if my data is being intercepted?
Often you can't. Browser certificate warnings, unexpected logouts and unfamiliar Wi-Fi networks are warning signs, so treat those seriously.
Does a VPN stop data interception?
It encrypts traffic between your device and the VPN, which helps on untrusted networks, but it doesn't protect data once it leaves the VPN or fix a compromised device.
Sources
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