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Interview question · Identity, OAuth & Access Control

How would you detect stolen session cookies or refresh tokens being used?

Stolen session tokens skip MFA entirely, which is why infostealers sell them. The scored answer looks for the same session appearing in two places, binds what it can, and makes revocation fast.

hardNewPreparation tags: Microsoft, Google, CrowdStrikeUpdated Nov 2026

Stolen session tokens skip MFA entirely, which is why infostealers sell them. The scored answer looks for the same session appearing in two places, binds what it can, and makes revocation fast.

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What would you say before reading the answer?

  1. 01 State the assumptions your answer depends on.
  2. 02 Explain the mechanism and choose a control.
  3. 03 Name a condition that would change your decision.

The worked answer includes an approach, scoring criteria and follow-up questions. Compare the reasoning with your own.

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What if · the follow-ups in this answer

The answer works through 6 follow-ups like an interviewer would

Infostealer malware is stealing session cookies and refresh tokens from employees' browsers, and attackers are using them without passwords or MFA.

  1. Why does token theft bypass MFA?
  2. What signals reveal a stolen token?
  3. Why does refresh token rotation help detection?
  4. How do you reduce the value of stolen tokens?
  5. What do you do when an infected device is found?
  6. How would you defend against token theft?

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