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Types of Active Attacks

The document discusses different types of active and passive attacks against information security. Active attacks include masquerading, message modification, replay attacks, and denial of service attacks which aim to alter or disrupt authorized access to information. Passive attacks involve monitoring communications without modification, such as eavesdropping on message content or analyzing network traffic patterns to infer sensitive details. While active attacks pose dangers to integrity and availability, passive attacks threaten confidentiality through unauthorized information disclosure.

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297 views5 pages

Types of Active Attacks

The document discusses different types of active and passive attacks against information security. Active attacks include masquerading, message modification, replay attacks, and denial of service attacks which aim to alter or disrupt authorized access to information. Passive attacks involve monitoring communications without modification, such as eavesdropping on message content or analyzing network traffic patterns to infer sensitive details. While active attacks pose dangers to integrity and availability, passive attacks threaten confidentiality through unauthorized information disclosure.

Uploaded by

Rashmi Samarasingha
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Types of active attacks

 Masquerade
Masquerade attack takes place when one entity pretends to be different entity. A Masquerade
attack involves one of the other forms of active attacks.

 Modification of messages –
It means that some portion of a message is altered or that message is delayed or reordered to
produce an unauthorized effect. For example, a message meaning “Allow JOHN to read
confidential file X” is modified as “Allow Smith to read confidential file X”.
 Replay
It involves the passive capture of a message and its subsequent the transmission to produce an
authorized effect.

 Denial of Service
It prevents normal use of communication facilities. This attack may have a specific target. For
example, an entity may suppress all messages directed to a particular destination. Another form
of service denial is the disruption of an entire network wither by disabling the network or by
overloading it by messages so as to degrade performance.

 
Types of Passive attacks

 The release of message content


Telephonic conversation, an electronic mail message or a transferred file may contain sensitive
or confidential information. We would like to prevent an opponent from learning the contents
of these transmissions.
 Traffic analysis
Suppose that we had a way of masking (encryption) of information, so that the attacker even if
captured the message could not extract any information from the message.
The opponent could determine the location and identity of communicating host and could
observe the frequency and length of messages being exchanged. This information might be
useful in guessing the nature of the communication that was taking place.

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/active-and-passive-attacks-in-information-security/

Following are the important differences between Active Attack and Passive Attack.

Key Active Attack Passive Attack

Modification In Active Attack, information is modified. In Passive Attack, information


remains unchanged.
Dangerous Active Attack is dangerous for Integrity as Passive Attack is dangerous for
For well as Availability. Confidentiality.
Attention Attention is to be paid on detection. Attention is to be paid on prevention.

Impact on In Active Attack, system is damaged. In Passive Attack, system has no


System impact.
Victim Victim gets informed in active attack. Victim does not get informed in
passive attack.
System System Resources can be changed in System Resources are not changed in
Resources active attack. passive attack.

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