When you buy through affiliate links in our content, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn What Does Account Hijacking Mean?
Account hijacking is a process through which an individual’s email account, computer account or any other account associated with a computing device or service is stolen or hijacked by a hacker.
It is a type of identity theft in which the hacker uses the stolen account information to carry out malicious or unauthorized activity.
Techopedia Explains Account Hijacking
In account hijacking, a hacker uses a compromised email account to impersonate the account owner. Typically, account hijacking is carried out through phishing, sending spoofed emails to the user, password guessing or a number of other hacking tactics. In many cases, an email account is linked to a user’s various online services, such as social networks and financial accounts. The hacker can use the account to retrieve the person's personal information, perform financial transactions, create new accounts, and ask the account owner's contacts for money or help with an illegitimate activity.
