Core concepts
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Session Security & Replay Prevention

Session Security & Replay Prevention

How Hawcx protects against session replay and unauthorized access

Authentication is not limited to login. It extends to session management. Even after a user has been verified, poorly protected sessions can be vulnerable to replay attacks, where an attacker intercepts authentication messages and attempts to reuse them to gain unauthorized access.

Challenge/Response Mechanisms

Hawcx addresses these risks using challenge/response mechanisms. Each authentication attempt is unique, and proofs generated by the device cannot be reused across sessions. This prevents attackers from replaying captured authentication messages, even if network traffic is compromised.

Sessions vs. Credentials

Sessions differ from credentials in their ephemeral nature. While credentials are persistent, session tokens are temporary, bounded by time or context. Hawcx's architecture separates these concepts: authentication verifies identity through device-bound proofs, while sessions provide temporary access without exposing reusable secrets.

Comprehensive Protection

By combining per-device proofs, ephemeral sessions, and unique challenge/response authentication, Hawcx ensures both initial login and ongoing access remain secure. Attackers cannot reuse captured data, and users experience a seamless authentication flow.

Strong session management complements device-bound authentication. Even sophisticated attacks targeting session replay are mitigated by ephemeral proofs and unique per-device challenges.