What characterizes a Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack?

A Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack is characterized by a third party intercepting and manipulating the communication between two involved parties without their knowledge. This type of attack exploits the communication channels and can occur in various scenarios, such as web browsing, email, or any other form of data exchange. The attacker can eavesdrop on the conversation, alter the information being exchanged, or even impersonate one of the parties to gain sensitive information or perform unauthorized actions.

This accurate understanding of the MitM attack highlights its nature as an active interference in communications, which sets it apart from other concepts or security measures that focus on preventing unauthorized access, such as software updates or hardware protection mechanisms. For instance, hijacking a network connection is often a precursor tactic that can facilitate a MitM attack, but it does not encompass the full scope of the attack's impact, which fundamentally involves communication interception and manipulation.