Ethical Hacking Essentials Practice Test

What guideline helps eliminate the risk of session hijacking in web applications?

1. Implement strong firewalls

2. Implement timeout() to destroy sessions when expired

3. Use secure programming practices

4. Disable session management

The correct answer is: Implement timeout() to destroy sessions when expired

Implementing a timeout mechanism to destroy sessions when they expire is a crucial guideline for reducing the risk of session hijacking in web applications. Session hijacking occurs when an attacker takes over a user session, often through methods like stealing session tokens. By setting a timeout on sessions, the application ensures that sessions do not remain active indefinitely, which limits the time window an attacker has to exploit a hijacked session. When a session times out, the user must re-authenticate, which involves re-establishing a secure session. This reduces the likelihood that an unauthorized user can use a stolen session identifier because the session becomes invalid after a certain period of inactivity. Implementing such timeout mechanisms strengthens the security posture by automatically logging users out and mitigating the risk of unauthorized access. In contrast, other strategies, while important for overall security, do not specifically address session hijacking to the same extent. For instance, secure programming practices enhance the overall security of an application but may not directly combat the risks associated with session tokens being stolen during an active session. Firewalls provide a protective barrier against external threats, but they do not control session management directly. Disabling session management would eliminate the capability to maintain user sessions at all, which is counterproductive to user experience and security