Session Takeover
Session takeover, also known as session hijacking, is a type of cyberattack where an attacker gains unauthorized control of a user's active session with a web application or online service.
Here's a breakdown of what that means:
User Session: When you log in to a website or web application (like your online banking or email), the server creates a temporary "session" to remember who you are. This session allows you to access different parts of the site without logging in again for every page.
Session Identifier: The server assigns a unique identifier (often called a "session ID" or "session cookie") to your session. This identifier is what the website uses to recognize you.
Unauthorized Control: In a session takeover, the attacker obtains the user's valid session identifier.
Gaining Access: By possessing the valid session ID, the attacker can then "hijack" the user's session and perform actions as if they were the legitimate user.
How Session Takeovers Happen
Attackers employ various techniques to steal session identifiers, including:
Session Sniffing: Intercepting network traffic between the user and the server to capture the session ID.
Cross-site Scripting (XSS): Injecting malicious scripts into websites that steal session cookies.
Session Fixation: Tricking the user into using a session ID controlled by the attacker.
Malware: Malware is malicious software to steals session cookies from the user's computer.
Brute-force Attacks: Trying to guess valid session IDs (less common due to security measures).
Consequences of Session Takeover
A successful session takeover can have severe consequences:
Account Access: The attacker gains complete control of the user's account, allowing them to view personal information, make transactions, or change settings.
Data Theft: The attacker can steal sensitive data stored within the application.
Unauthorized Actions: The attacker can perform actions that appear to be from the legitimate user, such as sending emails, posting on social media, or making purchases.
Reputational Damage: The organization hosting the web application can suffer reputational damage due to security breaches.
ThreatNG provides valuable capabilities that contribute significantly to identifying, assessing, and mitigating session takeover risks.
External Discovery: ThreatNG's external discovery capabilities are excellent for establishing a strong foundation for session takeover protection. Its ability to perform purely external unauthenticated discovery allows for a comprehensive view of external-facing assets, specifically web applications and subdomains, often the entry points for session takeover attempts.
External Assessment: ThreatNG's external assessments provide valuable insights into session takeover vulnerabilities.
The Web Application Hack Susceptibility assessment is instrumental. It analyzes web application entry points and session handling mechanisms to pinpoint weaknesses.
The Cyber Risk Exposure assessment also identifies vulnerabilities and exposed ports that attackers could exploit to access session data.
Furthermore, the Code Secret Exposure assessment is instrumental in detecting exposed session keys or other sensitive data within code repositories that could be used for session hijacking.
Reporting: ThreatNG's reporting capabilities effectively communicate session takeover risks.
Reports can prioritize web applications with high "Web Application Hijack Susceptibility" scores, enabling security teams to focus on the most critical areas.
"Code Secret Exposure" reports alert teams to exposed session keys, facilitating prompt remediation.
Continuous Monitoring: ThreatNG's constant monitoring of the external attack surface is a strong asset for session takeover protection. It ensures the detection of new vulnerabilities in web applications and changes in security configurations that could increase the risk of session takeover.
Investigation Modules: ThreatNG's investigation modules offer detailed information for analyzing session takeover vulnerabilities.
The Domain Intelligence module's Subdomain Intelligence feature provides valuable insights through "HTTP Responses" and "Header Analysis," revealing details about session security configurations.
The Sensitive Code Exposure module enables an in-depth investigation of code repositories, discovering session management vulnerabilities and exposed session secrets.
Working with Complementary Solutions: ThreatNG enhances overall security posture by working alongside other security tools.
It complements Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) by supplying information on web application vulnerabilities, enabling more effective protection.
It also strengthens Identity and Access Management (IAM) systems by providing data on exposed code secrets, which can inform stronger session security policies.
ThreatNG offers robust features that empower organizations to proactively identify, assess, and mitigate session takeover risks, contributing to a stronger security framework.
