CompTIA PenTest+ Practice Test

Which of the following represents a vulnerability related to session management in web applications?

1. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

2. Access Control Vulnerabilities

3. Session fixation

4. XML injection

The correct answer is: Session fixation

Session fixation is a specific type of vulnerability that directly affects how sessions are managed in web applications. This vulnerability allows an attacker to exploit the application by tricking a user into authenticating with a pre-defined session identifier. Once the user is authenticated, the attacker can take control of the session using that identifier. This is particularly dangerous because it can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data or functionalities, essentially allowing the attacker to impersonate the user. In contrast, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) is primarily concerned with injecting malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users, which can lead to session hijacking or data theft but is not inherently a session management issue. Access control vulnerabilities involve flaws in how permissions and authorizations are managed and do not directly relate to how sessions are maintained or secured. XML injection involves manipulating XML data in a way that could corrupt or exploit the application's handling of XML, again not focused specifically on session management. In summary, session fixation uniquely targets the session handling aspect and emphasizes the significance of robust session management practices in web applications to mitigate such vulnerabilities.