Not so. The NSA smiley [1] showed that the smartest of attackers (or maybe the chinese are, but that's besides the point) are still (or were still, as of ~5 yea

Not so. The NSA smiley [1] showed that the smartest of attackers (or maybe the chinese are, but that's besides the point) are still (or were still, as of ~5 years ago) relying on passive MITM. It's far easier to exploit a passive vulnerability for a long time - Active exploits leave traces, give clues as to who you are. Passive exploits often leave the user without any idea that they are being snooped. [1] https://www.google.com/search?q=nsa+smiley&es_sm=122&tbm=isch&imgil=VuJ8ZFTEmP3nvM%253A%253B4Fg1sd5R8Hj6wM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.newyorker.com%25252Fnews%25252Famy-davidson%25252Ftech-companies-slap-back-at-the-n-s-a-s-smiley-face&source=iu&pf=m&fir=VuJ8ZFTEmP3nvM%253A%252C4Fg1sd5R8Hj6wM%252C_&biw=1920&bih=1115&usg=__QePJRyzqVcukmkqgDaKspXJPw_Q%3D&ved=0CCcQyjdqFQoTCL-x8oa5wcgCFYkqiAodX1QFjg&ei=EQUeVv_kN4nVoATfqJXwCA#imgrc=VuJ8ZFTEmP3nvM%3A&usg=__QePJRyzqVcukmkqgDaKspXJPw_Q%3D https://www.google.com/search?q=nsa+smiley&es_sm=122&tbm=isc...