Hijacking in cybersecurity refers to the unauthorized seizure of control over a legitimate communication, session, process, or resource within an application or software environment. This critical threat type enables attackers to subvert intended functionality, manipulate operations, or exploit compromised systems for malicious purposes.

Common Types of Hijacking

Hijacking manifests in several dangerous forms within application and software security:

• Session Hijacking: Attackers gain control of a user's active, authenticated session, effectively impersonating the legitimate user to access sensitive data or perform unauthorized actions without needing credentials.
• Browser Hijacking: Malicious modification of web browser settings to redirect traffic to harmful sites, inject advertisements, or steal browsing data.
• Process Hijacking: Injection of code or takeover of running software processes to manipulate behavior or introduce vulnerabilities.
• DNS Hijacking: Redirection of domain name queries to malicious servers, leading users to fraudulent websites.

Root Causes and Vulnerabilities

Hijacking attacks typically exploit weaknesses including:

• Weak authentication protocols
• Flawed session management implementations
• Insecure communication channels lacking encryption
• Software design flaws and coding errors
• Insufficient input validation

Impact and Consequences

The consequences of successful hijacking attacks can be severe, including data theft, unauthorized system access, service disruption, and covert malware installation. These attacks profoundly compromise data integrity, confidentiality, and system availability, making robust defense strategies essential for organizations.