Gmail Cookie Stealing Part 1

What is a Cookie?

A cookie is a piece of code which is used to authenticate a user on a website, In other words when ever you login to a website such as Facebook, Gmail, Orkut etc your browser assigns you a cookie which basically tells the browser that for how long the user should be logged it, Apart of authentication purpose a cookie can be used for variety of different purposes, If you would like to know more about cookie stealing kindly google it up.

What is a Session Token?

After an authentication is completed , A webserver hands the browser a session token which is used because a webserver needs a way to recognize between different connections, If a hacker could capture your session token then it's a cakewalk for the hacker to hack into your gmail, facebook or any other account.

What is a Session Hijacking Attack?

A session hijacking attack is basically an act of capturing session token and injecting it into your own browser to gain acess to victims account.

What is a Cookie Stealer?

 

A cookie stealer is basically a script used to steal victims authentication cookies, Now for a cookie stealing process to work the website or the webpage should be vulnerable to an XSS attack, This is the most common and widely known misconception among newbies.

How the stealing process work?

1. The attacker creates a PHP script and uploades it to a webhosting site.

2. The attacker then asks the victim to visit that particular link containing the PHP code.

3. Once the victim visits it his/her authentication cookie is saved in a .txt file.

4. Next the attacker uses a cookieinjector or a cookie editor, There are lots of firefox addons, google chrome extensions to do the work for you.

5. The attacker replaces his own cookies with the victims cookies as a result of which the victims session is hijacking

Why it does not work on a website which is not vulnerable to XSS?

It's due to the browser's same origin policy, and according to it the browsers don't allow the javascripts to acess the cookies.

Well I will teach you all cookie stealing in my next topic.

Gmail Cookie Stealing Part 2

NOTE:- IT WILL NOT  WORK  ON CONNECTION HTTPS RATHER THEN HTTP.

Thanks.