Sessionscan

Sessionscan is a term used in information technology to describe processes or tools that analyze and manage user sessions within computer systems, networks, or applications. The goal is to enumerate active sessions, validate session integrity, monitor lifecycles, and detect anomalies that may indicate misuse, performance problems, or security incidents. Sessionscan can be applied to web applications, enterprise identity systems, virtualized environments, and network services such as VPNs or remote desktop gateways.

Typical functionality includes collecting session metadata (identifiers, times, user accounts, source IPs, devices), correlating authentication events, and presenting current and historical session views. Methods can be passive, using logs and telemetry, or active, testing session handling endpoints to verify statefulness and resilience to issues such as session fixation or hijacking. Some implementations assess risk factors like token expiry, cookie attributes, and token reuse.

Applications and benefits include security auditing, incident response, capacity planning, and compliance reporting. By detecting unusual session activity, organizations can identify compromised accounts, trace lateral movement, or optimize resource allocation by terminating stale sessions. Sessionscan results are typically integrated with security information and event management (SIEM) systems, identity and access management (IAM) platforms, or monitoring dashboards.

Privacy and security considerations are important, as session data may include sensitive information about user activity. Access controls, data minimization, encryption, and retention policies should govern sessionscan processes. The term is also used variably as a product name or feature descriptor in different software ecosystems, sometimes referred to as session discovery, session auditing, or session monitoring.