Currently, a large number of people are migrating to join teleconferencing services. It has many advantages, but many companies have not paid attention to it at the same time. Concerns about online safety have increased as the epidemic has increased. One of these problems is session hijacking, and you’re starting to see why.
The FBI revealed that it had received numerous reports of conferences interrupted by pornographic images and inappropriate content. Two schools in Massachusetts reported intruders breaking into online classes and sabotaging the meeting.
Also, in one of these cases, the intruder shouted the teacher’s home address who was teaching the class. This not only proves that security systems must be rigorously reviewed; It is also proved that valuable information can be stolen by accessing these online dissemination tools.
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What is session hijacking?
Session hijacking is the exploitation of a computer session to gain unauthorized access to your information or services on a system. Through theft of system cookies, a user can be authenticated to a remote server and access the server.
After successful theft of cookies, an attacker could use the “pass the cookie” technique to hijack the session. A session ID is a malicious hacker’s delight. With a session ID, you can gain unauthorized access to a web application and impersonate a legitimate user.
In general, there are three main ways to obtain a valid session ID:
Session prediction:-
Session prediction attacks are attacks that try to guess a valid session ID (any user). This is done based on how those IDs are created. A session ID must be unique and challenging to guess. This is why it is recommended to use only long, randomly generated numbers.
It is recommended that you use secure and reliable session management libraries to create such IDs. However, some companies decide to make their IDs, and they do not do it very well. In this way, they become victims of session abduction.
For example, a developer may use the base64-encoded Epoch algorithm to create its session ID. This will generate a valid session ID like this: MTU4MDMwMDE1OQ ==. If the attacker finds that this algorithm was used, they can try to guess the session token by trying different epochs on base64.
A brute force attack can also be considered a form of session prediction. This is when the webserver is not protected against multiple attempts. If the session key is minor, the attacker can try all possible values until it does one thing.
Also Read:-
- The Most Effective Social Engineering Techniques
- Top 10 Password Cracking Tools for Windows, and Linux
Side Session hijack:-
This term is used to describe the attacks of the Middle Ages (MITM). In this case, the attacker spies the communication between the server and the client and accepts a valid session ID. If the traffic is not encrypted, the attacker keeps trackers that operate on the same network as the client. It then monitors network traffic, user connections, and packet traffic.
This is particularly common in public Wi-Fi networks, a prevalent feature in today’s contingencies. If the website or web application explicitly uses an encrypted connection, the session trace does not work. For this, the use of devices that encrypt the server’s private data is recommended.
Session determination:-
It occurs when the attacker creates a valid session ID that has not yet been used. It is then provided to the user, who then uses it to authenticate to the session. To hijack this type of session, the attacker must first determine which session ID format is valid.
Through social engineering (such as phishing) it prompts the user to click on the malicious link. In this way, the user provides credibility, thus associating the session ID with the attacker’s account.
The same phase of the attack and its difficulty depends on many factors. For example, if the application saves session data, the attacker may need to create a fake phishing site. This becomes more difficult for the attacker if session IDs are only accepted from cookies.
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Cross-site scripting (XSS)
When we talk about cross-site scripting, we mean client-side code injection attacks. First, malicious scripts are executed in a victim’s web browser by incorporating malicious code into a page or application.
When the victim visits the web page or application, it uploads the malicious script to the user’s browser. This malicious code accesses session cookies and then sends them to a server controlled by the attacker.
A web page or web application is vulnerable to XSS if an insecure user uses the input. These attacks
The best way to prevent this entry is to be scanned by the victim’s browser. These analyzes can be generated by the server scan tool.
How can you defend yourself against a session hijacking?
There are various ways to prevent session hijacking. There are already ways to detect session hijacking. To protect your session ID, follow these steps:
- Do not create your session ID. Use a secure tool to generate them.
- Implement the use of HTTPS authentication on all your pages. Do not limit yourself to just the login page.
- Change the session ID after each user logs in.
- Log off, inactive users—invalid session ID after a specified time.
- But most important: regularly scan your website or web application with a vulnerability scanner.
Importance of vulnerability scanning
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability scanning tools are designed to automatically discover new and existing threats that may attack your applications. It allows identifying, classifying, and characterizing vulnerabilities between computer, network infrastructure, software, and hardware systems.
Acunetix is the most reliable tool on the market to secure your website. It is a scanner that works on any code, including HTML5, JavaScript, and PHP. In this way, they detect any irregularities in the code and generate reports to the administrator.
Also Read:-
- Top 5 Hacking Websites and Tutorials | How To Hack
- What is a DDoS attack, and how can it affect you?
These reports or statistics, which can originate from various types, allow a complete analysis of website security developments. As its priority is due to latent hazards, it can generate recommendations to detect and repair security flaws.
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