Cookie Authorization Validation

Cookie Authorization Validation refers to the process of testing and verifying how a web application uses cookies to enforce user authorization and access control. This type of testing ensures that the application correctly validates and manages cookies to prevent unauthorized access to protected resources.

Key Aspects of Cookie Authorization Validation:

1. Session Management:

• Validation of Session Cookies: Ensuring that session cookies (used to maintain user sessions) are properly validated by the server for every request to restricted pages.
• Session Expiry and Invalidation: Checking that session cookies are correctly expired or invalidated upon logout or after a timeout, preventing access to resources after the session ends.

1. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC):

• Cookie-Based Role Validation: Verifying that cookies storing user roles or permissions are correctly validated, ensuring users cannot escalate privileges by tampering with the cookies.

1. Secure Cookie Handling:

• HttpOnly and Secure Flags: Ensuring that cookies with authorization data are marked with the HttpOnly and Secure flags to protect them from unauthorized access through client-side scripts or unsecured connections.
• SameSite Attribute: Validating the SameSite attribute to prevent CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery) attacks by ensuring that cookies are only sent with same-site requests.

1. Cookie Integrity Checks:

• Tamper Detection: Ensuring that the application detects and rejects tampered cookies, preventing unauthorized access through modified or forged cookies.
• Token-Based Authorization: Verifying the use of secure tokens in cookies, such as JWTs (JSON Web Tokens), and ensuring these tokens are properly validated for authenticity and integrity.

1. Access Control Testing:

• Restricted Page Access: Checking that the application does not grant access to restricted pages without proper cookie validation, such as bypassing login or accessing admin pages without authorization.
• Cross-User Access Prevention: Ensuring that cookies are tied to specific users and that one user’s cookie cannot be used to access another user’s data or session.

1. Response to Invalid Cookies:

• Error Handling: Testing how the application responds to invalid or expired cookies, ensuring it redirects to a login page or displays an appropriate error message without leaking sensitive information.