Session Hijacking

TCP session hijacking is a process where a hacker takes over a TCP session between two machines. Because authentication frequently is done only at the start of a TCP session, this allows the hacker to break into the communication stream and take control of the session.

One popular method for session hacking is using source-routed IP packets. This allows a hacker at point A on the network to participate in a conversation between B and C by encouraging the IP packets to pass through the hacker’s machine.

The most common sort of session hacking is the “man-in-the-middle attack.” In this scenario, a hacker uses some sort of packet-sniffing program to simply listen the transmissions between two computers, taking whatever information he or she wants but not actually disrupting the conversation. A common component of such an attack is to execute a DoS attack against one end point to stop it from responding. Because that end point is no longer responding, the hacker can now interject his own machine to stand in for that end point.

The point of hijacking a connection is to exploit trust and to gain access to a system to which one would not otherwise have access.