An identity session is the authenticated state that exists after a user successfully logs in. It is usually carried by a session cookie, access token, or similar credential that tells an application, “this identity is already verified.” That makes the session valuable to attackers: if they steal or trick a user into approving one, they may act as that user without ever learning the password.
In real attacks, identity sessions are targeted through phishing, MFA prompt abuse, token theft, and reverse-proxy login theft. Once a session is active, an attacker can often read data, move through cloud apps, or set up persistence until the session expires or is revoked. Defenders reduce this risk with phishing-resistant MFA, short session lifetimes, device binding, conditional access, strong logout and revocation controls, and monitoring for impossible travel, new devices, or unusual token use.