Which attack type includes tactics such as intercepting communications to gain unauthorized access?

The attack type that involves tactics aimed at intercepting communications to gain unauthorized access is the Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attack. In a MITM scenario, an attacker positions themselves between two parties that are communicating, covertly capturing and possibly altering the information being exchanged. This can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information, as the attacker may glean credentials, personal data, or other critical information without the knowledge of either communicating party.

While DDoS attacks involve overwhelming a service to make it unavailable, phishing is focused on tricking individuals into revealing sensitive information through social engineering. Ransomware is a type of malicious software that encrypts a user's data and demands payment for the decryption key. Neither of these options involves the tactic of intercepting communications in the manner that a MITM attack does, which is why the choice identifying MITM as the correct answer is well-founded.