Session Hijacking

Definition:

Session hijacking occurs when an attacker intercepts or takes over an active session between a user and a service, allowing the attacker to gain unauthorized access to the user's account or data.

Use Cases:

• Used by attackers to gain access to a user's account by stealing session cookies or tokens.
• Employed in web-based attacks where sessions are inadequately protected or encrypted.
  
  

Related Terms:

• Man-in-the-Middle Attack
• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
• Cookie Theft
• Encryption
  
  

Questions and Answers:

• How do attackers perform session hijacking?
  Attackers intercept session cookies or session tokens transmitted over insecure channels, allowing them to take control of a user's active session.
  
  
• What are the risks of session hijacking?
  Session hijacking can lead to unauthorized access to user accounts, enabling attackers to steal data, perform transactions, or impersonate users.
  
  
• How can session hijacking be prevented?
  Session hijacking can be mitigated by using strong encryption (e.g., HTTPS), securing session tokens, and implementing short session expiration times.