What is account hijacking?
Account hijacking is a process in which an individual's email account, computer account, or 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.
In account hijacking, a hacker uses a compromised email account to impersonate the account holder. Typically, account hijacking is done through phishing, sending fake emails to the user, guessing passwords, 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 get the person's personal information, conduct financial transactions, create new accounts, and solicit the account holder's contacts for money or help with illegal activity.
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