What is session hijacking?
Session hijacking is a technique attackers use to gain unauthorized access to a user’s active session on a website or application.
The attack typically involves stealing the user’s active session cookie, a temporary file stored on the device that contains sensitive authentication details. With the stolen cookie, an attacker can take over the session and access their account, bypassing login credentials or other authentication steps, such as 2FA, MFA, or passkeys.
Threat actors can use session hijacking to inflict significant financial and reputational damage on targeted organizations. To help your company mitigate these risks, NordStellar offers an effective session hijacking prevention solution.
Why session hijacking prevention is essential
Session hijacking poses a serious threat to your company’s security, potentially leading to data breaches and business account takeovers. Preventing it early keeps your organization protected from financial loss and damage to your brand.
Session cookies are stolen and sold every day
Cybercriminals trade stolen cookies on the dark web, often without the victims realizing it. If leaked, your company’s cookies can be exploited by attackers at any time.
Attackers use cookies to bypass security measures like MFA
A stolen session cookie gives attackers access to your company data and systems, even if strong passwords, passkeys, and MFA are in use.
Undetected malware continuously steals new cookies
User devices infected with malware keep leaking session cookies, creating more security risks. Detecting these devices helps protect your company’s IT infrastructure.
The financial and reputational damage can be severe
A hijacked session can lead to account takeovers, unauthorized changes to your company's systems, and data breaches, all of which could result in operational disruptions and financial losses.
How does NordStellar’s session hijacking prevention work?
Monitors the dark web 24/7
NordStellar continuously scans the deep and dark web to identify stolen session cookies associated with your employees and customers.
Notifies you about stolen cookies
The platform alerts you whenever it detects a stolen session cookie, providing details such as the source, device, and other affected data.
Enables proactive threat remediation
By providing actionable intelligence, NordStellar prompts you to revoke compromised sessions and prevent attackers from hijacking your employees’ accounts.
Prevents unauthorized access
Session hijacking prevention ensures the security of company accounts by detecting and alerting about stolen session cookies.
Protects your company against online fraud
The solution prevents attackers from using stolen session cookies for account fraud such as unauthorized transactions and impersonations.
Keeps your corporate resources safe and sound
Prevent MFA bypass so attackers can’t hijack accounts, steal active sessions, or use stolen cookies to pretend they’re real users.
Trusted by leading teams across the globe
NordStellar’s threat exposure management platform has earned praise from both the organizations it serves and independent cybersecurity experts.
I honestly believe that this tool is essential for every company. The platform's user-friendly interface and proactive threat detection have significantly enhanced our organization's security posture. The team behind Nordstellar is amazing as well, and addresses our feedback very promptly and professionally.
Senior Offensive Security Engineer
After putting NordStellar through its paces, I can confidently say it’s up to the challenge. Cyber threats today are relentless, and many solutions simply don’t go far enough. But NordStellar stands out. Its dark web monitoring, instant alerts, and advanced threat detection go beyond the basics, equipping businesses with the tools they genuinely need to stay ahead. In a world where basic security falls short, NordStellar offers a proactive, reliable approach that I’d trust to protect critical data and tackle real-world cyber risks.
Lead Writer
NordStellar provides great insights on threats out there, especially in environments where you have no control. It is also important that the team behind the product listens to the feedback and finds a way to solve the issues. Over a short period, the tool became much more usable, and new sources were added. All you need to do is to provide the company domain, and you are ready to go. I'm really happy about this purchase.
Director of Information Security
The platform’s real-time alerts and big data analysis provide invaluable insights into risks, especially from lesser-known sources.
Director of Information Security
The platform offers a user-friendly interface that makes navigation seamless and enjoyable. Additionally, it provides a wide range of features and tools that help enhance your organisations security posture. The integration also seems pretty straight forward.
Senior Risk Manager
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Cybersquatting detection helps you recognize and prevent threat actors from impersonating your brand. Using content and visual similarity algorithms enriched with AI, NordStellar can detect various domain manipulations and issue real-time alerts, providing a detailed view of each suspicious domain.
FAQ
Session hijacking involves stealing a user’s session ID, often by capturing their active session cookie. Attackers typically do this by sniffing unencrypted traffic, exploiting cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities, or using malicious software. With the stolen session ID, the attacker can trick the system into thinking they are the legitimate user, gaining unauthorized access to the account. Once inside, they can continue the session by bypassing standard login procedures, including passwords or multi-factor authentication (MFA). As a result, they can access sensitive information, perform unauthorized actions, or escalate their privileges.
Session hijacking is extremely dangerous because it allows an attacker to gain full access to a user’s account. As a result, they can steal the victim’s identity, access, and disclose internal company data, and execute fraudulent transactions. Such attacks can inflict severe financial and reputational losses on any business and may also trigger regulatory fines.
Detecting session hijacking often involves looking for warning signs, such as unusual account activity, sudden logouts, or alerts about simultaneous logins from unrecognized devices. NordStellar provides additional protection by monitoring the dark web for malware-infostealer logs containing session cookies and sending real-time alerts whenever such activity is detected.
For the best protection against session hijacking, choose a solution from a reputable provider that specializes in proactive threat monitoring. Look for a proven system that monitors the dark web for leaked session cookies, so you can quickly identify and revoke compromised sessions. Make sure the solution is highly automated, providing continuous protection without the need for any manual checks.
The most common session hijacking techniques are session fixation, session sidejacking, cross‑site scripting (XSS), and malware infection. Session fixation involves tricking the user into using a session ID the attacker already knows, while session sidejacking requires stealing the session ID over an unencrypted network. In XSS attacks, attackers inject malicious scripts into a website, which can then steal session cookies when users interact with the site. Finally, attackers may also use malware to capture session cookies stored on a compromised device.
If you get an alert about stolen cookies, which may be used for session hijacking, act immediately. First, revoke the affected sessions and contain the info-stealing malware. Then, make sure to change your passwords and enable MFA.