What type of attack involves intercepting communications between two parties?

A man-in-the-middle attack involves an unauthorized party intercepting and potentially altering communications between two parties who believe they are communicating directly with each other. In this type of attack, the attacker can eavesdrop on the conversation, capture sensitive information, and sometimes even impersonate one of the parties to manipulate the interaction. This can happen over unsecured networks or through compromised devices, making it a significant threat to data confidentiality and integrity.

In contrast, phishing attacks aim to deceive individuals into providing sensitive information, typically through fraudulent emails or websites, rather than intercepting ongoing communications. DDoS attacks focus on overwhelming a server or network to disrupt service, and ransomware attacks involve encrypting a victim's files and demanding a ransom for decryption. None of these directly involve the interception of communications like a man-in-the-middle attack does.