What is the best defense against session hijacking?
Session hijackers fool a website into thinking they are an authorized user. This allows them to act as that user online, controlling their accounts, stealing their identity, and potentially causing massive issues. Below, we’ll cover what session hijacking is, how it works, and how you can protect yourself from hijacking attacks. Use Clario’s all-in-one security app to protect yourself from hijacking attempts and stay safe online. Show
Try Clario free Get it for iOS, Android Table of contents What is session hijacking?A web session is a set of user interactions between two endpoints (for example, the user and the website) over a period of time. A session lasts for as long as the connection remains between the two endpoints and is defined by a session ID.
Session hijacking means one of these sessions is taken over (usually by a hacker or virus) by pretending to be an authorized user. To hijack a session, the attacker must discover the session ID which can be used to masquerade as the authorized user. Be careful The person who has taken over the session is then able to perform any action that the user is authorized to do on that network. How session hijacking worksSession hijacking is when an attacker convinces a server or website that they are an authorized user. There are several session hijacking types, but they generally go something like this:
Types of session hijackingThere are two main categories of session hijacking: Active session hijacking and passive session hijacking. Active session hijackingActive session hijacking is when an attacker actively takes over a user’s session by forcing them offline and preventing them from communicating with the server. The attacker can then perform any action they like, such as stealing money from a bank account. Passive session hijackingPassive session hijacking is when an attacker simply monitors traffic between a user and a server. This lets them discover passwords or other valuable information they can use to masquerade as the user or ransom their personal information. Session hijacking techniquesThere are several different types of session hijacking, including:
How to prevent session hijackingThere are several things you can do to prevent session hijacking and protect your data and identity online, including:
Final thoughtsWith so many scams and viruses circulating the internet, it can be hard to avoid falling victim to a session hijacking attack. That’s why it’s vital that users are aware of the risks and make every effort to avoid them. One of the best ways to do this is by using Clario’s all-in-one web protection app. By Jake Harfield Jun 15, 2022 11 min read Jun 15, 2022 11 min read Jake Harfield is an Australian freelance writer whose passion is finding out how different technologies work. He has written for several online tech magazines. What are best practices to prevent session hijacking?How to Prevent Session Hijacking. Use strong passwords and multifactor authentication. These techniques protect accounts from being accessed by hackers if they manage to steal a user's session ID (Alkove, 2021).. Only share session IDs with trusted sources. ... . Use a VPN. ... . Keep software up to date. ... . Take cybersecurity training.. What is the best line of the defense to protect web sessions?Transport Layer Security
In order to protect the session ID exchange from active eavesdropping and passive disclosure in the network traffic, it is essential to use an encrypted HTTPS (TLS) connection for the entire web session, not only for the authentication process where the user credentials are exchanged.
Is the only way to prevent session hijacking attack?Here are a few ways to protect yourself from session hijacking:. Use strong authentication mechanisms.. Make sure all forms of authentication require a password change before allowing a user to log in again.. Ensure that only authorized users are allowed to create sessions.. Don't store any sensitive data on the client-side.. What are five methods of session hijacking?There are five key methods of Session hijacking:. Session Fixation.. Session Side Jacking.. Cross Site Scripting.. Malware.. Brute Force.. |