Description: Cross-Site Request Forgery (XSRF) is a type of attack that tricks the victim into sending a malicious request to a website where they are authenticated. This attack relies on the trust that a site has in the user’s browser. When a user is authenticated on a website, the browser automatically sends session cookies along with requests, allowing an attacker to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of the user without their knowledge. XSRF can lead to data modification, execution of unwanted transactions, or even theft of sensitive information. To prevent such attacks, measures like verification tokens are implemented to ensure that requests come from legitimate sources. Understanding XSRF is crucial for security professionals, as it lies at the intersection of web security and user experience, and its mitigation is essential for protecting the integrity of web applications.
History: The XSRF vulnerability was first identified in the early 2000s when researchers began exploring the implications of cookie-based authentication. In 2007, the term ‘Cross-Site Request Forgery’ was formalized, and the first recommendations for mitigating such attacks began to be published. As web applications became more complex and integrated more services, awareness of XSRF grew, leading to the implementation of better security practices in software development.
Uses: XSRF is primarily used to carry out attacks on web applications that rely on session authentication. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to execute unauthorized actions on behalf of an authenticated user, such as changing account settings, making money transfers, or sending messages. Organizations must implement security measures to protect their applications against such attacks.
Examples: An example of an XSRF attack could be an authenticated user on an online bank who, while visiting a malicious site, is forced to submit a request to transfer money to the attacker’s account. Without the user’s knowledge, the request is sent with the bank’s session credentials, resulting in an unauthorized transfer. Another example is an attack on a social media platform where an attacker can make a user post unwanted content on their profile.
