Ethical Hacking Essentials Practice Test

What is a characteristic of a session hijacking attack?

1. Utilization of firewalls for protection

2. Unauthorized access to user sessions

3. Improved encryption of communications

4. Reduction in session management complexity

The correct answer is: Unauthorized access to user sessions

Session hijacking attacks are characterized primarily by unauthorized access to user sessions. In a session hijacking scenario, an attacker exploits the established session between a user and a server, taking control as if they were the legitimate user. This breach enables the attacker to interfere with the user’s activities, access personal information, or conduct malicious actions without the user’s knowledge. The focus in the context of session hijacking is on exploiting existing sessions rather than on improving security measures like firewalls or encryption, which are defensive mechanisms. While firewalls can help protect against unwanted traffic and improved encryption can enhance the security of data in transit, they do not directly relate to the behavioral aspect of session hijacking, which revolves around taking over sessions that are already active. Additionally, reducing session management complexity does not characterize a session hijacking attack; instead, effective session management is crucial for preventing such attacks and ensuring secure user interactions. Overall, the defining trait of session hijacking lies in the unauthorized access it provides to an attacker, making this characteristic fundamentally important to understand in the realm of cybersecurity.