Session sniffing involves which of the following actions?

Session sniffing involves which of the following actions?

• A. Attacker uses a sniffer to capture a valid session token and then uses it to gain unauthorized access
• B. Attacker exploits malware on a host
• C. Attacker floods the network with traffic
• D. Attacker changes DNS records

Answer: (A)

Session sniffing is about eavesdropping on a network to grab a valid session token (like a session ID or a cookie) and then using that token to impersonate the legitimate user. An attacker with a sniffer watches unencrypted traffic, collects the token, and then presents it to the server to gain unauthorized access as the victim. That immediate link between token capture and unauthorized access is what makes this choice the correct depiction. The other actions describe different attack kinds: malware on a host targets the machine itself, a flood of traffic aims to disrupt services, and changing DNS records redirects users or traffic. They don’t involve stealing and replaying a session token to take over an active session. To mitigate sniffing, encrypt traffic with TLS (use HTTPS), mark cookies as Secure and HttpOnly, and keep sessions short with additional protections like MFA.

Session sniffing is about eavesdropping on a network to grab a valid session token (like a session ID or a cookie) and then using that token to impersonate the legitimate user. An attacker with a sniffer watches unencrypted traffic, collects the token, and then presents it to the server to gain unauthorized access as the victim. That immediate link between token capture and unauthorized access is what makes this choice the correct depiction.

The other actions describe different attack kinds: malware on a host targets the machine itself, a flood of traffic aims to disrupt services, and changing DNS records redirects users or traffic. They don’t involve stealing and replaying a session token to take over an active session. To mitigate sniffing, encrypt traffic with TLS (use HTTPS), mark cookies as Secure and HttpOnly, and keep sessions short with additional protections like MFA.