Definition
An attack where someone steals an active session token to impersonate a logged-in user, like grabbing someone's coat check ticket and claiming their jacket. Except the jacket is their bank account.
Example Usage
We need to implement proper HTTPS and secure cookies to prevent session hijacking on the login flow.
Origin
Emerged with web authentication systems in the mid-1990s as cookies became the standard for session management
Fun Fact
In 2010, a Firefox extension called Firesheep made session hijacking on public WiFi so easy that coffee shops became the most dangerous place to check your email.
Source: Web security and network attack methodology documentation
Related Terms
Translate This Term
See “session hijacking” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.
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