What are CSRF tokens and why are they important?

What are CSRF tokens and why are they important?

CSRF tokens, or Cross-Site Request Forgery tokens, are security measures used to prevent unauthorized commands from being transmitted from a user that the web application trusts. They ensure that the requests made to a server are intentional and come from authenticated users.

How do CSRF tokens work in practice?

In practice, a CSRF token is generated by the server and sent to the client. When the client submits a form, the token is included in the request. The server then verifies the token to ensure it matches the one it generated, confirming the request is legitimate.

What happens if a CSRF token is missing or invalid?

If a CSRF token is missing or invalid, the server will reject the request, preventing any unauthorized actions from being executed. This helps protect user data and maintain the integrity of the application.

Are there any best practices for implementing CSRF tokens?

Yes, best practices include using unique tokens for each session, ensuring tokens are unpredictable, and validating them on the server side for every state-changing request.