Answer to Question #91798 in Computer Networks for Hung

Question

Assume user-1 and user-2 are communicating over an HTTPS session. Assume an attacker who does not have any of the shared keys, inserts a bogus TCP segment into a packet stream with correct TCP checksum and correct sequence numbers and correct IP addresses and correct port numbers. Will HTTPS at the receiving side accept the bogus packet and pass the payload to the receiving application? Discuss why or why not.

Answer 1

Answer: No, the bogus packet will not be accepted & the payload does not arrive to attacker.

Explanation: The forgery will be detected because of the shared MAC key which is known only by the two legitimate parties (user-1 & user-2). That is pre-computed and the attacker does not know it. Therefore, the integrity checking will reveal the forgery.