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= Introduction  =
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<div style="width:100%;height:160px;border:0,margin:0;overflow: hidden;">[[File:Cheatsheets-header.jpg|link=]]</div>
  
'''Authentication''' is the process of verification that an individual or an entity is who it claims to be. Authentication is commonly performed by submitting a user name or ID and one or more items of private information that only a given user should know.  
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The Cheat Sheet Series project has been moved to [https://github.com/OWASP/CheatSheetSeries GitHub]!
  
'''Session Management''' is a process by which a server maintains the state of an entity interacting with it. This is required for a server to remember how to react to subsiquent requests throughout a transaction. Sessions are maintained on the server by a session identifier which can be passed back and forward between the client and server when mtransmitting and receiving requests. Sessions should be unique per user and computationally very difficult to predict.
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Please visit [https://cheatsheetseries.owasp.org/cheatsheets/Authentication_Cheat_Sheet.html Authentication Cheat Sheet] to see the latest version of the cheat sheet.
 
 
For more information on Authentication, please see the OWASP [[Guide to Authentication]] page.
 
 
 
= Authentication General Guidelines  =
 
 
 
== Implement Proper Password Strength Controls  ==
 
 
 
A key concern when using passwords for authentication is password strength. A "strong" password policy makes it difficult or even improbable for one to guess the password either by using manual or automated means. The following characteristics define strong a strong password:  
 
 
 
1.'''Password Length'''
 
 
 
The longer the password the more combinations possible combinations of characters exist and is hence more difficult to guess.  
 
 
 
<br>
 
 
 
'''Important applications''': Minimum of 6 characters in length.
 
 
 
'''Critical applications''': Minimum of 8 characters in length. (consider multi-factor authentication)
 
 
 
'''Highly critical applications''': Consider multi-factor authentication
 
 
 
<br>
 
 
 
2. '''Password complexity'''
 
 
 
'''Example'''<br>Passwords should be checked for the following composition or a variance of such:
 
 
 
*at least: 1 uppercase character (A-Z)
 
*at least: 1 lowercase character (a-z)
 
*at least: 1 digit (0-9)
 
*at least one special character (!"£$%&amp;...)
 
*a defined minimum length (e.g. 8 chars)
 
*a defined maximum length (as with all external input)
 
*no contiguous characters (e.g. 123abcd)
 
*not more than 2 identical characters in a row (1111)
 
 
 
== Implement Secure Password Recovery Mechanism  ==
 
 
 
It is common for an application to have a mechanism that provides a means for a user to gain access to their account in the event they forget their password. Password recovery systems are difficult to secure against abuse, circumvention. The best way is to keep them as simple as possible.
 
 
 
=== Secret questions  ===
 
 
 
Weaknesses with sectet questions are common;
 
 
 
Weakness may be that the security question is too easy to guess or find an answer to E.g. Car, Date of Birth (DOB), Colour&nbsp; Such question have a a finite sample space and are easily brute forced/guessed.  
 
 
 
<br>
 
 
 
=== Delivery Mechanisims / Implementation weakness  ===
 
 
 
Common issues with a reset password delivery are
 
 
 
*Delivery:
 
 
 
Email: Setting the email address to that which is not the email address of the user for which the password is to be reset.
 
 
 
*Password Reset Rate
 
 
 
Limiting the rate at which password reset requests are processed in order to limit hijacking and brute force attempts.  
 
 
 
*Authentication: Password recovery mechanism relies only on something the user knows and not something the user has; email account, token, multifactor.<br>
 
 
 
== Utilize Multi-Factor Authentication  ==
 
 
 
== Authentication and Error Messages ==
 
 
 
== Transmit Passwords Only Over TLS  ==
 
 
 
== Implement Account Lockout  ==
 
 
 
= Session Management General Guidelines  =
 
 
 
== Transmit Session ID's Only Over TLS  ==
 
 
 
== Ensure Session ID's are Cryptographically Strong and Random  ==
 
 
 
== Implement Idle And Absolute Timeout  ==
 
 
 
== Caching &amp; Privacy  ==
 
 
 
== Cookie Security  ==
 
 
 
{{Cheatsheet_Navigation}}
 
 
 
= References  =
 
 
 
= Authors and Primary Editors  =
 
 
 
Eoin Keary eoinkeary[at]owasp.org
 
 
 
[[Category:How_To]] [[Category:Cheatsheets]] [[Category:OWASP_Document]] [[Category:OWASP_Top_Ten_Project]]
 

Latest revision as of 13:55, 15 July 2019

Cheatsheets-header.jpg

The Cheat Sheet Series project has been moved to GitHub!

Please visit Authentication Cheat Sheet to see the latest version of the cheat sheet.