How can you secure authorization mechanisms?

1 Use secure protocols

One of the first steps to secure your authorization mechanisms is to use secure protocols for communication and data transfer. This means using HTTPS instead of HTTP, as HTTPS encrypts the data and prevents eavesdropping, tampering, or spoofing. You should also use secure tokens, such as JSON Web Tokens (JWT), to store and transmit user credentials and permissions. JWT are digitally signed and can be verified by the server, making them more resistant to forgery and manipulation.

3 Validate and sanitize inputs

A common way for attackers to exploit your authorization mechanisms is to inject malicious code or commands into your inputs, such as forms, URLs, or headers. This can lead to unauthorized access, data leakage, or remote code execution. To prevent this, you should always validate and sanitize your inputs before processing them. Validation means checking that the inputs match the expected format, type, and length, and rejecting any invalid or suspicious ones. Sanitization means removing or escaping any harmful characters or symbols that can interfere with your code logic.

4 Use secure libraries and frameworks

Another way to secure your authorization mechanisms is to use secure libraries and frameworks that provide built-in or easy-to-use features for authentication and authorization. For example, you can use OAuth or OpenID Connect to implement standard and secure protocols for delegating and verifying user access. You can also use frameworks like Spring Security or Laravel Sanctum to simplify and automate the creation and management of secure tokens, sessions, and roles. Using secure libraries and frameworks can help you avoid common mistakes and vulnerabilities that can compromise your authorization mechanisms.

5 Monitor and audit activities

The final step to secure your authorization mechanisms is to monitor and audit the activities and events related to your web applications. This means logging and tracking the requests, responses, errors, and exceptions that occur during the authorization process. You should also monitor the usage and performance of your web applications, such as the number of active users, sessions, and tokens. Monitoring and auditing can help you detect and respond to any anomalies, breaches, or attacks that may affect your authorization mechanisms.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?