(n.) Also referred to as
TCP session hijacking, a security attack on a
user session over a protected
network. The most common method of session hijacking is called
IP spoofing, when an attacker uses source-routed
IP packets to insert commands into an active communication between two
nodes on a network and disguising itself as one of the
authenticated users. This type of attack is possible because authentication typically is only done at the start of a
TCP session. Another type of session hijacking is known as a
man-in-the-middle attack, where the attacker, using a
sniffer, can observe the communication between devices and collect the data that is transmitted.
