Abstract

In today’s highly interconnected digital landscape, the secure transmission of sensitive data is critical to countering increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, particularly Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks. These attacks exploit vulnerabilities during key exchanges, enabling malicious actors to intercept and compromise communication channels. While protocols like Diffie-Hellman (DH) are widely used for secure key exchange, they remain susceptible to interception when keys are transmitted over unsecured networks. Similarly, traditional single-factor authentication schemes provide limited defense against such threats. Although Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) enhances identity verification by incorporating multiple layers of authentication, its integration with secure key exchange mechanisms has not been sufficiently explored. This study introduces a Secure Data Transmission System that combines a Three-Factor Authentication (3FA) approach with a novel Split-Key Diffie-Hellman Protocol. The system utilizes a password or PIN, a One-Time Password (OTP), and a graphical password for robust user authentication. Additionally, it strengthens the key exchange process by splitting the public key into two parts, which are transmitted through separate channels, thereby reducing the likelihood of successful MITM interception. The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is employed to ensure confidentiality and data integrity during transmission. Simulation results and performance evaluations demonstrate the system’s high efficiency, minimal latency, and strong resistance to MITM attacks. The findings confirm that integrating 3FA with the enhanced key exchange protocol significantly improves the overall security of data transmission. The research contributes to the advancement of cybersecurity solutions by addressing a critical gap in secure communication frameworks.

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