What is CSRF:

CSRF stands for Cross-Site Request Forgery.

Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) is a type of security vulnerability where an attacker tricks a user into unknowingly executing actions on a web application in which the user is authenticated. This occurs by exploiting the trust that a web application has in a user’s browser, allowing the attacker to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of the user without their knowledge or consent.

Here’s how CSRF attacks typically work:

Authentication: The user logs into a web application that uses cookies to maintain session state and authentication.

Exploitation: While the user is logged in, the attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable web application from a different site (often a malicious one) that the user visits. This request includes actions that the attacker wants to perform on the vulnerable site, such as changing account settings, making purchases, or transferring funds.

Execution: The user’s browser automatically includes any relevant authentication cookies when making requests to the vulnerable site, including those initiated by the attacker’s site. As a result, the vulnerable site processes the forged request as if it were legitimate, carrying out the actions specified by the attacker.

CSRF attacks can have serious consequences, such as:

Changing user settings or preferences.

Making unauthorized transactions or purchases.

Deleting or modifying user data.

Performing actions on behalf of the user without their consent.

To mitigate CSRF attacks, web developers can employ several preventive measures, including:

CSRF Tokens: Include unique, random tokens with each form submission or request that performs a sensitive action. These tokens are validated by the server to ensure that the request originated from the legitimate user and not from an attacker.

SameSite Cookies: Set the SameSite attribute on cookies to Strict or Lax to prevent cookies from being sent in cross-origin requests, thereby reducing the risk of CSRF attacks.

Referrer Policy: Configure the Referrer Policy to limit the information sent in the HTTP Referrer header, which can help prevent leakage of sensitive information to malicious sites.

Consistent Authentication: Implement consistent authentication mechanisms across the entire application to ensure that users are always properly authenticated before performing sensitive actions. By implementing these best practices, web developers can significantly reduce the risk of CSRF attacks and protect their users’ sensitive information and actions from unauthorized manipulation.