Explain the concept of session hijacking.

Session hijacking, also known as session stealing or session sidejacking, is a form of cyber attack where an unauthorized individual gains control over a legitimate user's session on a computer network. This attack occurs when an attacker intercepts and steals the session identifier or token, which is used to authenticate and maintain the user's session on a website or application.

Once the attacker obtains the session identifier, they can impersonate the legitimate user and gain unauthorized access to their account or perform malicious activities on their behalf. Session hijacking attacks can be carried out through various methods, such as sniffing network traffic, exploiting vulnerabilities in web applications, or using malware.

To prevent session hijacking, organizations and developers implement security measures such as using secure protocols like HTTPS, regularly rotating session identifiers, implementing strong session management practices, and employing encryption techniques to protect session data. Additionally, users can protect themselves by avoiding public Wi-Fi networks, regularly logging out of their accounts, and being cautious of suspicious emails or links that may lead to phishing attacks.