Masquerade attacks are one the the most damaging forms of cybercrime, and it’s growing with every single day.
Cybercriminals use stolen data and credentials to gain unauthorized access to customer-sensitive data and information using their systems.
In the 2010 e-Crime Watch Survey, 35% of organizations had experienced such incidents, making them the second most common external threat from external entities.
The impacts of such incidents are damaging. A few major breaches, including the 2017 Equifax incident, have exposed personal information, and it affected hundreds of millions of individuals.
Likewise, in 2013, Target’s breach compromised over 70 million records. Both of these incidents involved masquerade tactics.
Cyberattacks are evolving in the shape of social media engineering methods. These methods involve phishing techniques that have increased by 58.2% in 2023.
A masquerade attack is a deceptive strategy where cybercriminals gain unauthorized access to your legitimate systems.
In this situation, there is a need for urgent strategies to detect and prevent masquerade attacks.
In this blog, we’ll explore what a masquerade attack is, its real-world examples, and actionable steps to prevent its threats before they strike.
What Is a Masquerade Attack?
A masquerade attack in a cybersecurity context is a cybersecurity breach where attackers, malicious actors, unauthorized individuals, or entities gain access to a legitimate user, network, system, device, sensitive data, resources, or services.
The attackers pretend to be someone they are not in real life to steal sensitive data.
| 📌 “A masquerade attack is like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It appears harmless until the damage is done.” |
This is how attackers deceive the security mechanism. of and bypass the authentication process.
By dodging the digital structure that’s in place to prevent unauthorized attacks, hackers manipulate the transitions and commit financial crimes.
This can result in the hold of important business operations. These attacks exploit trust and relationships. These attacks result in data theft, financial fraud, and network compromise.
These attacks use different techniques and mechanisms, including
- social engineering
- malware-based exploits
- Effective tactics to bypass identity verification
- Infiltrating systems to avoid detection
Unlike cyberattacks, masquerade attacks focus on the vulnerabilities associated with the people using the system instead of focusing on its system itself.
Attackers often begin by stealing login credentials to start a masquerade attack. They then use that info to log in, pretending to be that person and utilizing these credentials to access networks. This can cause limitless damage.
| 📌Types of Masquerade Attacks Masquerade attacks have different forms, including: User masquerade In this form, the attacker gains access to users’ credentials, including – Username – Password After gaining unauthorized access using different means, like social engineering, phishing, and tracking passwords. They use credentials for illegitimate activities and financial gain. For instance, in the Equifax breach (2017), the attackers stole the credentials to get access to sensitive users’ data Sevice masquerade The attackers pretend to be a trusted entity on a device or a network to manipulate the relationship between devices. For instance, the attacker can use the MAC address or IP address of a trusted device to gain access to a network for further attacks. Website masquerade In this form, the attacker created a website that resembles a legitimate one. By using this website, he tricks users into providing their information about credit card and personal information. Application masqueradeIn this scenario, the attacker creates mischievous applications that appear legal. The attacker tricks users into installing these applications on their devices. When these applications get installed, they perform malicious activities to steal an individual’s data. System masqueradeIn these cases, the attackers disguise their system and network as trusted to interrupt or redirect the network traffic on other systems. They also attack other systems and manipulate the trust between systems. For instance, Attackers may set up fake public Wi-Fi networks as legitimate networks to steal user data. Email Masquerade In this form, the attacker sends emails using fake addresses, which might include banks, and tricks the recipients into sharing their credentials. They also download malware to get credentials. IP Address MasqueradeSpoofing IP addresses is another form of attack, they use IP-based bypasses to launch controls and attacks on other systems. |
Masquerade attacks are devastating and complex to detect. Traditional security frameworks, including firewalls and intrusion detection systems, struggle to identify attackers.
To mitigate these risks, organizations need to implement multi-factor authentication and strong access controls. Organizations can train their employees on behavior analysis and security awareness.
How Does a Masquerade Attack Work?
Masquerade active Attack is done without an individual’s knowledge. There are three phases of the Masquerade Attack, including
- Preparation Phase
- Execution Phase
- Post Attack Activity
Preparation Phase
- In this phase, the attacker gathers all the logins and credentials using malware and brute force attacks.
- After getting all the credentials attacker grabs the user’s ID sessions and acts as the legitimate user without credentials anymore.
- After that, they copy the IP or Device Spoofing using trusted IP addresses or device fingerprints to act as legitimate.
Execution Phase
- In this phase, the attacker uses spoofed data and portrays itself as a legitimate user.
- They gain access to all resources and manipulate the individual system. They get access to all sensitive data and payments.
Post-Attack Actions
- The data and information are stolen
- Attackers make unauthorized buying, purchases, and money transfers
- Attackers use side doors or any other activities, such as ransomware, to sustain access.
| Example of a Masquerade Attack Consider this masquerading attack example: Hackers or attackers gain access to an employee’s email credentials. They send an email to the finance department, appearing as the CEO, to wire transfer urgently. The finance team believes the request is legitimate and will process the money transfer, which can result in financial loss. This case highlights the manipulation of masquerade attacks. The real-world example includes Operation Aurora (2010) The attackers tricked Google, Adobe, and Yahoo employees with spoofing emails to steal the credentials to access Gmail accounts of human rights activists. This breach underlines how masquerade attacks can bypass even tech giants’ defenses through social engineering. |
What is a masquerading attack that combines spam with spoofing?
A masquerading attack that blends spam and spoofing is a type of cyberattack when an attacker or criminal pretends to be a trustworthy entity (via spoofing) to send deceptive emails (spam).
This technique is used to trick the recipients into revealing sensitive data to perform illegitimate actions. The phishing tactics are involved, where the attacker
- Spoof the sender’s name or email address so it appears as if it is from someone you know. For instance, the name and address that is from a trusted organization.
- They send spammy emails to many at once.
- These emails often trick you into clicking, downloading, or opening them and eventually sharing your private information.
You Can Also Like it: What is CNAM (Caller ID Name)? A Complete Guide
How to prevent a masquerade attack?
Identifying a masquerade attack can be complex. The attacker appears as the legitimate person using a real user’s name, device, and system.
Organizations can adopt a multi-layered security approach with technical controls, user education, and regular monitoring. There are different techniques you can follow to detect these attacks, including
1. Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is an additional verification step beyond passwords. MFA provides biometric scans and one-time codes.
These preventive measures make it harder for attackers to track and manipulate the credentials.
If a password is compromised, the second authentication factor acts as a barrier against unauthorized access.
2. Pose strict Password Policies
Strong and complicated passwords combined with regular updates can reduce the chances of credential vulnerability.
Passwords with mixed characteristics, such as uppercase, lowercase, symbols, and special characters, are best to reduce the chances of getting traced.
A password generator or manager helps users avoid the reuse of the same or weak passwords.
3. Conduct Behavioral Analysis & Anomaly Detection
Monitor your system or device activity daily, along with users’ activities. The user’s activities establish the behavioral baselines and red flags for deviations.
It provides information about the user’s unusual login times and patterns to access data. AI-driven tools can help automate the process.
AI tools detect the suspicious activity and report it immediately as a result of impersonation attempts
4. Restrict User Permissions via Least Privilege
Restrict access to accounts only to your trustworthy resources. Assign logins to resources specific to their roles.
This will minimize the damage to credentials if compromised. Review the permissions to ensure the credential alignment with the responsible entities.
5. Install Endpoint Protection & Digital Signing
Different solutions, such as Anti-malware and code-signing technologies, are useful to prevent unauthorized software execution.
These technologies block attackers from using systems to reduce vulnerabilities. Digitally signed software ensures the running of trusted applications only on a certain network.
6. Maintain Sessions& Network Traffic
Maintain and monitor the Track active sessions for irregularities. The tracking activation, including the time of enforcement and use of network segmentation that contains breaches.
Tools like Network Access Control (NAC) confirm the device’s legitimacy before granting access to a specific network.
| 📌Masquerade Attack in Network Security In network security, a masquerade attack includes IP spoofing, where a hacker or attacker paints their IP address to mimic a trusted host. This allows them to avoid firewalls or block communications. |
7. Supervise Security Awareness Training
Train and educate your employees to identify phishing attempts. Supervise your employees to verify email and resources before opening, and report after feeling suspicious.
Training and proper education can reduce human errors and contribute to 95% success of breaches.
8. Apply Email Authentication Protocols
Email Authentication Protocols validate the email sender and prevent attacks. Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to prevent the spoofing of legitimate domains.
These protocols are essential to follow to reduce email-based impersonation risks.
9. Execute Device/Browser Fingerprinting
Analyze logs for signs of active attacks or masquerade attempts. Examine and investigate the device characteristics (e.g., OS, browser version) to detect unfamiliar devices even with valid credentials.. These examinations add a layer of verification for user legitimacy.
10. Establish an Incident Response Plan
Maintain clear procedures for isolating threatened systems. Forensic analysis and restoration options can help to recover compromised data. A quick response to damage aids in recovery.
Organizations can reduce the risk of masquerade attacks by applying all these measures. Continuous adaptation to emerging threats and regular security audits maintain the integrity and defense of a network.
Final Thoughts
A masquerade attack involves Cybercriminals who gain access to systems by using stolen credentials. This is very complex to identify an attacker.
There are different techniques discussed in the blog that can protect individuals and businesses from a masquerade attack. These attacks can damage the reputation and loss of financial data.
No organization can be immune to masquerade attacks or cybersecurity attacks. Preventive measures can protect organizations from such attacks.
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