Ethical Hacking Essentials Practice Test

Which attack technique is used to capture and use a legitimate session ID?

1. Session fixation

2. Session replay

3. Session hijacking

4. Authentication spoofing

The correct answer is: Session hijacking

Capturing and using a legitimate session ID is fundamentally characterized by the technique known as session hijacking. In this type of attack, an attacker takes advantage of the valid session established between a user and a web application. When the session ID is compromised, the attacker can effectively pose as the victim, gaining unauthorized access to the victim's account or information without needing to re-authenticate. Session hijacking typically occurs through methods such as network packet sniffing, where attackers intercept session tokens transmitted over the network, or through the exploitation of vulnerabilities such as Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), which can expose session IDs to malicious scripts. Understanding this technique is crucial for ethical hackers, as it helps identify potential security weaknesses within systems that could lead to unauthorized access. It emphasizes the importance of securing session management processes, such as using secure cookies, implementing HTTPS, and employing session expiration policies.