INFORMATION SECURITY
ASSIGNMENT 24-02-24
ANSHUL REDDY GOLI
21BCE2624
Explain the active and passive attacks in Information Security
In information security, active and passive attacks are two broad categories that describe different ways
in which attackers can compromise systems, networks, or data.
1. **Active Attacks**:
Active attacks involve actions where the attacker interacts directly with the target system or data.
These attacks typically aim to disrupt, modify, or gain unauthorized access to the target. Here are some
common types of active attacks:
- **Denial of Service (DoS)**: In a DoS attack, the attacker floods the target system with excessive
traffic, requests, or data, causing it to become overwhelmed and unavailable to legitimate users.
- **Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)**: Similar to a DoS attack, but launched from multiple sources
simultaneously, making it more difficult to mitigate.
- **Man-in-the-Middle (MitM)**: In a MitM attack, the attacker intercepts communication between
two parties without their knowledge. This allows the attacker to eavesdrop on or manipulate the
communication.
- **Spoofing**: Spoofing attacks involve falsifying data or identity to trick a system or user into
believing the attacker is someone else. This can include IP address spoofing, email spoofing, or DNS
spoofing.
- **Replay Attacks**: In a replay attack, the attacker intercepts and then retransmits data that was
previously captured, often in an attempt to impersonate the legitimate user.
- **Injection Attacks**: Injection attacks involve inserting malicious code or commands into a system
to exploit vulnerabilities. Examples include SQL injection and Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks.
2. **Passive Attacks**:
Passive attacks, on the other hand, involve monitoring and eavesdropping on data transmissions
without altering or affecting them. While these attacks do not directly disrupt the target system, they
can still compromise the confidentiality and integrity of the data being transmitted. Some common
types of passive attacks include:
- **Eavesdropping**: In an eavesdropping attack, the attacker listens in on communication between
two parties without their knowledge. This can involve capturing network traffic or monitoring wireless
communications.
- **Traffic Analysis**: Traffic analysis involves analyzing patterns, volumes, and timing of data
transmissions to gain insights into the activities or behaviors of users. While not directly revealing the
content of the communication, traffic analysis can still provide valuable information to attackers.
- **Passive Reconnaissance**: Passive reconnaissance involves gathering information about a target
system or network without directly interacting with it. This can include monitoring public information
sources, such as social media profiles or publicly accessible documents, to gather intelligence about
potential vulnerabilities or targets.
In summary, active attacks involve direct interaction with the target system or data, often with the goal
of disrupting or gaining unauthorized access, while passive attacks involve monitoring and
eavesdropping on data transmissions to compromise confidentiality or gather information. Both types of
attacks pose significant threats to information security and require appropriate measures to detect,
prevent, and mitigate them.
