How Hackers Evade MFA: Strategies to Prevent Cyber Attacks with IT Support
Imagine a world where we can anticipate in advance and stay five steps ahead of cyber criminals and their sophisticated ways of attack. Advancements in technology and AI have almost made this imaginary world a reality. Unfortunately, hackers leverage technology, which acts as a double-edged sword to violate the vulnerable gaps in the technology. One such technology evaded by hackers is MFA.
Gone are the days when MFA was used to double-secure systems. MFA requires an extra login step other than a password, making it difficult for hackers to access a users account. If you need assistance implementing a reliable and robust MFA into your system, our IT support San Diego professionals have your back.
This blog will discuss MFA bypass, methods used to bypass MFA, real-life stories, and vital tips to strengthen your security.
What is MFA Bypass?
MFA bypass is a technique cybercriminals use to infringe the double layer of security provided by multifactor authentication. This attack is known as a single sign-on (SSO) impression method. Malicious actors use SSO attacks to access the user’s login. MFA bypass attacks are conducted in various ways, such as social engineering, phishing, and exploiting vulnerable gaps in MFA.
When malicious actors target MFA, they exploit its vital features, which include passwords, biometrics, and tokens. Organizations must be careful and train their staff to regularly change their passwords and set one that is difficult to identify. Organizations can get the help from IT Support San Diego experts to strengthen their security measures.
5 Ways Hackers Breach The Vulnerabilities in MFA
1. Phishing
Phishing attacks have grown from obtaining passwords to accessing the full credentials required to conduct an attack. For instance, malicious actors create a fake version of the authentic website to get passwords and OTPs and simultaneously log in to the actual website to conduct the attack. This attack is performed manually, requiring real-time contact between the attacker and the victim. Phishing that bypasses MFA has become more automated. Attackers use modern-day technology to conduct sessions cookie-theft, and reverse proxies; thus, all the credentials go through attackers’ systems.
2. Prompt Bombing
In this type of attack, also known as MFA fatigue, the threat actor harasses the user with repeated authentication notifications. As the attacker gains access to the user’s login credentials, they send continuous notifications to authenticate the second layer of login. A high volume of push notifications is sent to the user’s system to drain them until the authentication is provided. The user might assume the high flow of notifications is due to some technical glitch. If it hinders their calls and text messages, users get so annoyed that they can do anything, like providing authentication to get rid of it. This paves an easy path for attackers to access the victim’s system.
3. Social Engineering
Authenticating the MFA Process involves sending OTPs to the user’s email account or text messages, prompting them to enter them. Attackers use social engineering techniques to misguide users into sharing OTPs with them, thus accessing the user’s login account.
Attackers use physiological methods to contact users, such as using a friend, family member, relative, or customer service professional to conduct an attack.
4. Sessions Hijacking
In this attack, malicious actors steal the cookies that store data from the end-users authentication sessions and use those cookies to access the account. As cookies store authentication data, attackers don’t have to cross the MFA checkpoint while using the sessions-hijacking method.
Authentication cookies are available for a limited time; sophisticated cybercriminals can use this time frame to access a victim’s login details.
There are various ways cybercriminals steal cookies, including:
- Session fixation
- Proxy server that looks similar to a genuine website
- Malware
- Packet Sniffing
5. Brute Force Attack
Threat actors can bypass multi-factor authentication by conducting a brute-force attack. In this type of attack, criminals attempt to identify passwords by trying various combinations until they get the right match. Attackers try to get the authenticator’s numeric pins, which is far easier than trying for an alphanumeric password.
If your business faces multi factor authentication difficulties or an MFA attack, you should contact network support San Diego experts to protect it from modern-day attacks.
MFA Bypass Attack Examples From Real Life
1. Uber:
In September 2020, Uber reported an MFA attack by a Lapsus$ hacking group that infringed on the system, making the Uber employee a target. In this attack, a contractor was continuously sent push notifications for authentication until the employee accepted them. As the authentication was provided, the infiltrator entered the system to hack other organizations like Microsoft, Samsung, and Cisco.
2. Microsoft:
Microsoft reported that 10,000 organizations were targeted using adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) techniques to conduct the attack. This technique used a phishing site to obtain login credentials and session cookies, which store authentication data. Once the session cookies are stolen, the malicious actor gets access to the user’s login to conduct a business email compromise campaign.
4 Vital Tips To Strengthen Your Security
1. Biometric Authentication
Use biometric authentication techniques, such as scanning faces or fingerprints. These are difficult for attackers to access, making biometrics the most reliable authentication technique.
2. Zero Trust Architecture
It is an approach where users and devices are continuously monitored and verified in an entire session. It’s vital to ensure that users have limited access to systems and data as much as they need to perform their role to avoid compromised data issues.
3. Strong Password Policies
MFA attacks are often conducted when weak passwords are used or not changed regularly. Making passwords the first line of defense weakens the entire concept of multifactor authentication. Implementing strong password policies can reduce the likelihood of an attack.
4. Restrict Login Attempts
Restrict the number of push messages your device can trigger that enable you to survive a Prompt bombing attack. Automatically suspending accounts that send more push notifications to authenticate can protect your employees from overwhelming push messages, protecting the system from infiltrators.
Conclusion!
All security measures, including MFA, are vulnerable to attacks. If implemented mindfully, MFA can act as a first line of defense. End users can bypass the MFA threat actors if security measures are adequately implemented. You just need to anticipate how cybercriminals can attack and authenticate legitimate users.
Our IT support San Diego experts can help businesses implement robust multi-factor authentication, strengthening their security protocols. We help organizations implement MFA to protect their system and data from sophisticated attacks. Our security measures help organizations identify and mitigate risk factors, providing peace of mind.
Frequently Asked Questions About Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Does MFA prevent cyber attacks?
Multi-Factor authentication (MFA) reduces the level of cyber attacks but does not entirely prevent them. MFA provides businesses with an additional layer of security by providing a double layer of protection.
How can multi-factor authentication help protect against phishing attacks?
Multifactor protects against phishing attacks by adding an extra layer of protection, making it difficult for attacks to breach. Ensure the second layer of protection consists of biometrics like face scanning or fingerprints, making replicating attacks difficult.
Can we bypass an authentication request in MFA?
Cybercriminals bypass MFA requests by implementing sophisticated methods such as social engineering, prompt bombing, session hijacking, and brute-force attacks. Although MFA is used to enhance security, it is not entirely secure. You can leverage the technology’s benefits by mindfully using it.