Protecting Against Clickjacking Attacks

In today’s digital age, security is paramount, and one common threat web applications face is clickjacking. This article will explore what clickjacking is, how it works, and most importantly, how to protect against it.

What is Clickjacking?

Clickjacking, also known as UI redress attack, is a malicious technique where an attacker tricks a user into clicking something different from what the user perceives, potentially revealing confidential information or taking control of their computer while clicking on seemingly harmless web pages.

How Clickjacking Works

Clickjacking typically involves embedding a malicious or deceptive element, such as an invisible iframe, over a legitimate webpage. When a user clicks on what appears to be a legitimate button or link, they are interacting with the hidden, malicious element. This can lead to unintended actions such as:

• Submitting a form
• Changing settings
• Initiating financial transactions
• Enabling a camera or microphone

Real-World Examples

1. Likejacking: Trick users into liking a Facebook page.
2. Cryptocurrency Theft: Trick users into making unauthorized cryptocurrency transactions.
3. Changing Security Settings: Trick users into changing security settings, potentially exposing them to further attacks.

Protecting Against Clickjacking

Preventing clickjacking requires a combination of client-side and server-side techniques. Here are some of the most effective methods:

1. X-Frame-Options Header

The X-Frame-Options HTTP response header can be used to indicate whether a browser should be allowed to render a page in a <frame>, <iframe>, <embed>, or <object>. The header has three possible values:

• DENY: Prevents the page from being displayed in a frame, regardless of the site attempting to do so.
• SAMEORIGIN: Allows the page to be framed only by pages from the same origin.
• ALLOW-FROM uri: Allows the page to be framed only by the specified origin.

Example configuration for Apache:

Header always append X-Frame-Options DENY        

Example configuration for Nginx:

add_header X-Frame-Options "DENY";        

2. Content Security Policy (CSP)

Content Security Policy (CSP) can be used to mitigate various attacks, including clickjacking. The frame-ancestors the directive specifies valid parents that may embed a page using <frame>, <iframe>, <object>, <embed>, or <applet> tags.

Example CSP configuration: HTML

Content-Security-Policy: frame-ancestors 'self' https://trusted-site.com;        

3. Frame Busting Scripts

Another technique is to use JavaScript to prevent your site from being framed. This method is less reliable than HTTP headers due to JavaScript being disabled or manipulated by an attacker, but it can be an additional layer of defense.

Example frame-busting script: Javascript

if (top !== self) { 
top.location = self.location;
 }        

4. User Education and Awareness

Educating users about the risks of clickjacking and promoting good security practices, such as being cautious of suspicious links and regularly updating browsers, can help mitigate the risk.

Conclusion

Clickjacking is a significant threat that can lead to severe consequences for users and web applications. By implementing a combination of X-Frame-Options, Content Security Policy, frame-busting scripts, and user education, you can effectively protect your web applications from clickjacking attacks. Remember, a layered security approach is always the best practice in cybersecurity.