EXPOSING WEB VULNERABILITIES: A STUDY OF MAN-IN-THE-MIDDLE AND SESSION HIJACKING ATTACKS

Abstract

These days, data is king, thanks to the Internet. This data is very susceptible to attackers because of the seemingly open access Internet service. Attacks happening on the web may compromise users' data privacy. Attacks that occur on the Internet, including Man-In-The-Middle and session hijacking, are the subject of this SLR. Using an appropriate research selection approach, it examines around 30 studies spanning from 2016 to 2023. There are three research questions that make up this SLR. The first one gives an overview of recent tendencies in research on session hijacking and man-in-the-middle attacks. The trend indicates that there will be a decrease in the number of articles published from 7 in 2018 to 4 in 2021. India also ranks first in this field, with 73% of publications published in conference settings. As a publication, IEEE is the leading contributor, as this question highlighted. The second one discusses the methods that Man-In-The-Middle attacks and session hijacking apply to TCP/IP. The results show that whereas session hijacking attacks target just two levels—the application and the network—Man-In-The-Middle attacks target all layers. Thirdly, we want to know how various studies have dealt with session hijacking and man-in-the-middle assaults. Finally, by illuminating developing patterns, causes, and remedies in data privacy, this research emphasises the need of more robust cyber defences against Man-in-the-Middle and session hijacking attacks in the Internet age.