Session Hijacking

This type of session management attack happens when an attacker takes over a user's session by stealing their session ID. An attacker can do this in several ways, such as by intercepting the session ID transmitted between the user and the server.

The attacker can also take advantage when a user does not log out after using an application and abandons their device. Cybercriminals will then be able to access the device and use the same session that is still active.

Session Hijacking attacks are similar in nature to Man-in-the-Middle, except that the attacker will not directly forward traffic from the victim machine to its intended destination. Instead, the attacker will capture a genuine TCP sequence number or web cookie from the victim and use it to assume the victim’s identity. This could be used, for instance, to access a target user’s social media account if they happen to be logged in.