JWT Security & Best Practices
Explore the security considerations of JSON Web Tokens (JWTs), including proper signing, validation, and storage to prevent common attacks.
Intro to JWT Security
JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) are popular for authentication and securely exchanging information between parties. They're compact and self-contained.
However, their self-contained nature means that security is paramount. Improper handling or validation of JWTs can lead to serious vulnerabilities in your backend applications.
Quick Look: JWT Structure
A JWT consists of three parts, separated by dots:
- Header: Specifies the token type (JWT) and the signing algorithm (e.g., HS256, RS256).
- Payload: Contains claims – statements about an entity (like a user ID) and additional data (like roles, expiration time).
- Signature: Used to verify the token's integrity and authenticity.
Remember, the payload is encoded (Base64Url), not encrypted. Anyone can read the claims, so don't put sensitive data directly in the payload.
All lessons in this course
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
- OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect
- JWT Security & Best Practices
- Secure Password Storage & Credential Recovery