Hey everyone,
I’m working on a project with a Next.js frontend and a Spring Boot backend. We’re using JWTs for authentication, but we’ve run into a security issue.
Right now, we’re storing the JWT in session storage. The problem is that our InfoSec team found a vulnerability. They were able to copy a JWT from a tab with higher authority and paste it into a tab with lower authority, gaining unauthorized access.
Does anyone have experience with this? I’m looking for ways to make our JWT storage more secure in the frontend. Maybe there’s a better place to store it, or some extra steps we can take to prevent this kind of exploit?
Any advice would be really helpful. Thanks in advance!
ooh, jwt security is tricky! have u considered using httpOnly cookies? they’re way harder for malicious scripts to snag. also, maybe try adding some fancy fingerprinting to ur tokens? like device ID or IP. that could help prevent the copy-paste issue. what do u think about that approach?
I’ve encountered similar challenges with JWT security in Next.js applications. One effective approach is to implement HTTP-only cookies for storing JWTs instead of session storage. This method prevents client-side JavaScript from accessing the token directly, mitigating the risk of cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.
Additionally, consider implementing token rotation and short expiration times for your JWTs. This practice limits the window of opportunity for potential attackers if a token is compromised. You might also want to explore adding custom claims to your tokens, such as user roles or permissions, which can be validated on the server side for each request.
Lastly, ensure you’re using HTTPS throughout your application to encrypt data in transit, including your JWTs. These combined measures significantly enhance your JWT security posture in a Next.js frontend.