Original Post: Why You Should Never Put Sensitive Data in Unencrypted JWTs | by Jez D | Aug, 2024
The article discusses the security risks associated with storing sensitive data in JSON Web Tokens (JWTs), which have become popular for transmitting information in web development due to their simplicity and ease of use. JWTs consist of three parts: a header, payload, and signature, but they are not encrypted by default—only encoded in base64. This makes them vulnerable as anyone who intercepts a JWT can decode its payload.
Key points highlighted include:
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Risks of Storing Sensitive Data in JWTs:
- Exposing sensitive information.
- Susceptibility to person-in-the-middle attacks.
- Insecure local storage, vulnerable to cross-site scripting (XSS).
- Problems with token lifespan management.
- Best Practices for Using JWTs:
- Avoid storing sensitive data in JWTs.
- Use JSON Web Encryption (JWE) for sensitive data.
- Keep tokens short-lived.
- Ensure secure transmission over HTTPS.
- Use secure client-side storage like HttpOnly cookies.
- Implement token rotation and revocation strategies.
The article emphasizes that JWTs are useful for managing authentication and authorization but must be handled with proper security precautions to avoid serious vulnerabilities. It concludes by urging developers to follow best practices to safeguard their applications and users.
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