Cross-site scripting request forgeries
Attack of the CSRF
Sometimes, even ING, YouTube, The New York Times, and Google get it wrong.
Cross-Site Request Forgery (also referred to as Cross-Site Reference Forgery, CSRF and XSRF) is apidly becoming a serious security problem of which most programmers and users are blissfully unaware. CSRF is a web-based attack that has grown out of, and remains a close cousin to, the more traditional Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks. In an XSS exploit, the attacker inputs malicious content into a web application (e.g., by creating a malformed URL or embedding hostile code in a response box) that results in hostile content such as JavaScript being inserted into otherwise safe content that then is served to the victim. CSRF attacks take it a step further by inserting hostile content that results in an action by the user's web browser, such as changing a filter setting within web-based email or initiating a money transfer from an online bank account.
A CSRF Attack Example
So you go to your favorite social networking site to chat with friends. Unfortunately, the site in question allows users to insert images into web-based conversations (e.g., avatars for a forum). Instead of using a URL such as:
<img src="http://random-site/ image.jpg">
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 Drops bcachefs
After a clash over some late fixes and disagreements between bcachefs's lead developer and Linus Torvalds, bachefs is out.
-
ONLYOFFICE v9 Embraces AI
Like nearly all office suites on the market (except LibreOffice), ONLYOFFICE has decided to go the AI route.
-
Two Local Privilege Escalation Flaws Discovered in Linux
Qualys researchers have discovered two local privilege escalation vulnerabilities that allow hackers to gain root privileges on major Linux distributions.
-
New TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro Powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300
The TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen10 offers serious power that is ready for your business, development, or entertainment needs.
-
Danish Ministry of Digital Affairs Transitions to Linux
Another major organization has decided to kick Microsoft Windows and Office to the curb in favor of Linux.
-
Linux Mint 20 Reaches EOL
With Linux Mint 20 at its end of life, the time has arrived to upgrade to Linux Mint 22.
-
TuxCare Announces Support for AlmaLinux 9.2
Thanks to TuxCare, AlmaLinux 9.2 (and soon version 9.6) now enjoys years of ongoing patching and compliance.
-
Go-Based Botnet Attacking IoT Devices
Using an SSH credential brute-force attack, the Go-based PumaBot is exploiting IoT devices everywhere.
-
Plasma 6.5 Promises Better Memory Optimization
With the stable Plasma 6.4 on the horizon, KDE has a few new tricks up its sleeve for Plasma 6.5.
-
KaOS 2025.05 Officially Qt5 Free
If you're a fan of independent Linux distributions, the team behind KaOS is proud to announce the latest iteration that includes kernel 6.14 and KDE's Plasma 6.3.5.