NordVPN Warns of 52 Billion Stolen Session Cookies
NordVPN reports 52 billion stolen session cookies circulating online, enabling hackers to bypass passwords and multifactor authentication through session hijacking.
Cybersecurity experts are warning of a surge in session hijacking, a fraud technique where hackers steal session cookies to gain unauthorized access to user accounts. NordVPN identified 52 billion stolen cookies circulating online in the year leading up to June, noting that this method allows fraudsters to bypass both passwords and multifactor authentication.
Session hijacking typically occurs when a user downloads infostealer malware that extracts active cookies from a browser's database. Marijus Briedis, Chief Technology Officer at NordVPN, explains that these cookies act as digital keys that keep a user logged into a site. If a hacker steals an active cookie, they can impersonate the user without needing login credentials.
Victims of these attacks face account takeovers, redirected online orders, and impersonation scams. To mitigate these risks, experts recommend that users manually log out of accounts to invalidate cookies, avoid storing passwords in browsers in favor of dedicated password managers, and refrain from using insecure public Wi-Fi.
