Member-only story
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF): Understanding and Mitigating the Risk 🔒
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) is a common yet dangerous web vulnerability that exploits the trust a web application has in a user. Attackers leverage this trust to execute unintended and often malicious actions without the user’s knowledge. If successful, CSRF attacks can have severe consequences, such as unauthorized transactions, data breaches, and even account takeovers.
What is a Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) Attack?
Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) is a type of attack where an authenticated user unknowingly performs actions on a web application that they’re currently logged into, at the request of an attacker. Essentially, CSRF attacks take advantage of the fact that web browsers automatically include session cookies in requests made by authenticated users, regardless of where the request originates.
The Basics of CSRF:
In simpler terms, CSRF tricks the user into submitting a request to perform an unintended action, such as changing account settings, transferring funds, or deleting data. The browser submits this request as if it were a legitimate one from the user, as their session information is still valid and included.
