You might hear of the term session hijacking as the most dangerous online threat for internet users. In a world where the internet has become part of human lives, it becomes unnatural to not browse. But internet surfing brings some unknown harm that can be very costly.
In this post, you will learn about what is session hijacking and how you can avoid this threat. So, without any delay let’s head to learn more.
What Exactly Is Session Hijacking?
Session hijacking is often known as cookie hijacking or session fixation. It is a sophisticated cyber-attack where an unauthorized individual intercepts or manipulates an ongoing session between a user and a web application.
Sessions are the connections that are established between the users and websites after successful authentication. This connection is maintained through identifiers like cookies or session tokens.
The Anatomy Of Session Hijacking
Session hijacking involves multiple methods and all aim to seize the control of an active session. One common technique is packet sniffing where the cybercriminals eavesdrop on network traffic to intercept and obtain session-related information like cookies or authentication tokens.
Another method is cross-site scripting (XSS) where the attackers inject the harmful scripts into the web pages to steal the session cookies.
The Danger And Implications
The implications of session hijacking are grave because once the attacker successfully hijacks a session, they can easily replicate themselves as a legitimate user and gain unauthorized access to sensitive information, perform malicious activities, or even execute financial transactions on behalf of victims.
The stealthy infiltration can lead to damages like identity theft, data breaches, financial loss, and tarnished reparations.
Prevention Against Session Hijacking
-
Secure HTTPS Connections
Make sure that your online activities occur within a secure HTTPS (HyporText Transfer Protocol Secure) environment. HTTPS can encrypt the transmitted data between your device and the web server which makes it harder for cyber attackers to intercept and decipher the information.
-
Implement Strong Session Management
Websites and applications should implement strong session management practices. Employing randomly generated session tokens, regularly rotating the tokens, and setting them to expire after a short duration are essential steps to mitigate the session hijacking risks.
-
Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
You can also adapt MFA as an additional layer of security by requiring multiple forms of authentication for example a password along with a unique code sent to your mobile device or email. It makes it critical for the attackers to breach your accounts even if they get access to the session-related information.
-
Using VPN As An Anonymity Shield
You can also use a Windows VPN connection that fortifies your online security arsenal. VPNs encrypt the internet traffic, mask your IP address, and create a secure tunnel, shielding sessions from prying eyes and potential hijackers.
-
Regular Update And Patch Systems
Frequently updating your operating system, web browsers, and applications is another essential step to keep yourself secure. The software updates often contain security patches that address security vulnerabilities and reduce the likelihood of exploitation by cybercriminals.
-
Network Segmentation And Monitoring
You can divide your network into segments and use strong monitoring tools to detect any kind of abnormalities or suspicious activities. Also, you can implement intrusion detection systems (IDS) or intrusion prevention systems (IPS) that can swiftly identify and mitigate session hijacking attempts.
Conclusion
So, this is session hijacking along with the ways to avoid it. You must keep yourself assured that all your accounts and profiles are safe from the attacks. There is always a solution for every problem and you can resolve this by using prevention such as VPN. Using such methods can not only keep your accounts and you safe from session hijacking but also other threats.