MFA Bypass
Also known as: 2FA bypass, Multi-factor authentication bypass
MFA bypass is any technique that defeats multi-factor authentication so an attacker can access an account despite the extra factor. Stolen session cookies from infostealers are a leading MFA-bypass method, because a valid session needs no second factor to replay.
What is MFA bypass?
Multi-factor authentication adds a second verification step beyond a password. MFA bypass refers to methods that sidestep that step, including session-cookie theft, real-time phishing proxies, MFA-fatigue (push bombing), and SIM swapping.
The infostealer connection
The most direct infostealer-driven bypass is session-cookie theft: a stolen, still-valid cookie represents an already-authenticated session, so replaying it skips both the password and the MFA prompt entirely.
Reducing MFA-bypass risk
Phishing-resistant MFA (such as passkeys/FIDO2), short session lifetimes, device-bound sessions, and rapid session revocation when a device is suspected compromised all reduce exposure to these techniques.
By surfacing stolen session cookies found in infostealer logs, VantaPrism helps teams revoke the exact sessions that enable cookie-based MFA bypass before they are abused.
Check Your Exposure arrow_forwardFrequently Asked Questions
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