You may think of a stolen password as the main way someone gets into your account. But online criminals have learned that they do not always need to steal the password itself. They may hijack an active login session, convince you to approve a sign-in, take control of your phone number or use malware to collect information from your device.
Passwords are still important. However, they are only one part of the security system protecting your identity. Here are six ways criminals may try to get around traditional password protection and the practical steps you can take to protect yourself.
When you sign in to a website, the service often creates a session that tells it you have already proved who you are. Your browser or app may keep that session active so you do not have to enter your password every few minutes. Criminals can sometimes steal the digital tokens or cookies associated with these sessions. If the service accepts the stolen information, an attacker may gain access without entering your password or completing another verification step.
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