Cybersecurity risks rise as session cookie theft enables account hijacking

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Session cookie theft risks

Highlights

Hackers increasingly target session cookies to hijack accounts by stealing active sessions through infostealer malware, bypassing normal password and login alerts.
Session cookie theft exposes banking and online shopping accounts to fraud, enabling unauthorized access, impersonation scams, and misuse of stored payment methods.
Consumers are advised to avoid insecure wifi, use password managers, and remain vigilant for device slowdowns or suspicious account activity due to rising session hijacking risks.

How session cookie theft works

As reported by The Guardian, cybersecurity specialists warn that session cookies have become a prime target for hackers because they can function like a live digital key to logged-in accounts.

When a user signs into a website, the site places a temporary cookie on the device so the person can move between pages without repeatedly entering login details. That session cookie normally becomes useless after logout, but it can remain active longer if a user chooses to stay signed in or does not fully end the session.

Marijus Briedis, chief technology officer at NordVPN, says hackers who steal an active cookie can effectively impersonate the account holder without triggering a password reset or login alert. He says the theft usually begins when a victim unknowingly downloads malware, which then pulls active session cookies from the browser's database and sends them to attackers.

Consumer and financial exposure

Victims may not realise their accounts have been compromised until fraudsters begin using them. In banking, criminals can gain access to accounts or use exposed information for impersonation scams, while in online shopping they may redirect purchases and charge saved payment methods.

On email or social media platforms, stolen sessions can also be used to target other people with fraud. Security warnings from websites, such as alerts about changed account details, may be one of the first signs that a session has been hijacked.

Briedis says consumers should be cautious about browser extensions and software downloads, where infostealer malware is often hidden. Other warning signs can include devices slowing down, battery drain, repeated crashes, browser redirects, pop-ups or an unexpected homepage change.

Recommended precautions include avoiding insecure public wifi for logged-in activity, manually logging out of accounts rather than only closing a browser tab, and moving passwords from browsers into a dedicated password manager. Users who suspect compromise should run antivirus scans, log out of all devices, change passwords, keep multifactor authentication enabled and contact their bank if they detect suspicious transactions.

Cybersecurity funding surged in Q3 2026 as investors poured more capital into fewer, larger late-stage rounds, with AI-oriented and identity security companies drawing the strongest interest. Our earlier article also noted that the sector is seeing intensified consolidation through major acquisitions, reflecting rising demand for fraud prevention and identity protection tools as digital threats evolve.

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