BGP hijacking is a cyberattack where malicious actors exploit vulnerabilities in the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), which is used to route internet traffic between autonomous systems. Attackers falsely announce ownership of IP address blocks, causing internet traffic to be misrouted through their networks. This allows them to intercept, monitor, or manipulate data, potentially leading to data theft, surveillance, or denial of service. BGP hijacking can disrupt online services, compromise sensitive information, and undermine trust in internet infrastructure. Preventing such attacks requires improved authentication, monitoring, and cooperation among network operators to validate routing announcements.