Session Fixation Attack
Session fixation attack is a type of attack in computer security, where the attacker tries to gain control of a user’s session in a web application.
In a web application, a session is a temporary state that is created when a user logs into an application. During the session, the user can access different parts of the application without having to log in again. The session is maintained by a session ID, which is a unique identifier assigned to the user when the session is created.
In a session fixation attack, the attacker tries to force the victim user to use a specific session ID, which has been chosen by the attacker. This can be done in several ways, such as by sending a phishing email containing a link to a website with a predetermined session ID.
Once the victim user logs in using the predetermined session ID, the attacker can then use the same session ID to access the same session and take control of the user’s session. This can allow the attacker to carry out malicious activities, such as stealing sensitive data and carrying out unauthorized transactions.
To protect against session fixation attack, web applications need to use random and unpredictable session IDs, and ensure that session IDs are not reused or shared between different users. Additionally, the use of secure cookies and using encrypted connections (HTTPS) can also help to prevent session fixation attacks.