What Does Replay Attack Mean?
A replay attack is a category of network attack in which an attacker detects a data transmission and fraudulently has it delayed or repeated. The delay or repeat of the data transmission is carried out by the sender or by the malicious entity, who intercepts the data and retransmits it. In other words, a replay attack is an attack on the security protocol using replays of data transmission from a different sender into the intended into receiving system, thereby fooling the participants into believing they have successfully completed the data transmission. Replay attacks help attackers to gain access to a network, gain information which would not have been easily accessible or complete a duplicate transaction.
Techopedia Explains Replay Attack
Unless mitigated, networks and computers subject to replay attack would see the attack process as legitimate messages. One example of a replay attack is to replay the message sent to a network by an attacker, which was earlier sent by an authorized user. Although the messages might be encrypted and the attacker may not get the actual keys, retransmission of valid data or logon messages could help them gain sufficient access to the network. A replay attack can gain access to the resources by replaying an authentication message and can confuse the destination host.
