Implementing HTTPS – Comprehensive Website Security
As the importance of the internet and privacy of data grows there are an increasing number of websites that now employ HTTPS which stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. In the case that HTTPS varies locations on a page HSTS not only refuses but also prevents the webpage from being downloaded to ensure security measures are followed. The change from HTTP to HTTPS is usually the go to for achieving basic website security but developers are required to consider other security policies to provide an adequate level of security.
HSTS is among the most recommended web security policies in HSTS deployment. HSTS is a web security policy mechanism that helps protect websites against man in the middle attacks and reduces the chances of user passwords being stolen. A security policy that restricts secure communications from being performed over unencrypted connections HSTS builds on the concept of HTTPS ensuring that the protocol is always meets security standards.
In short, whenever a secure page is accessed, any further interaction remains interacting via encrypted communications eliminating any chance of unencrypted data traffic being transmitted across. And important aspect of HSTS policy is that even if a user attempts to connect to a website that is only secured with HTTPS, the page will not load due to the browser preventing it.This reduces the chances of malicious scripts running and lowers the potential for attackers injecting harmful media to a webpage.
Secure Cookies are important in the protection of session data. Using the HttpOnly and Secure flags helps developers secure that session cookies are not available in JavaScript or via unencrypted channels. In addition, developers are not advised to put sensitive data such as passwords into cookies. In its place, tokenization or the use of JWT (JSON Web Tokens) should be employed to retain and extend the session details.
Certificate Management (SSL/TLS) is a factor that ranks number one when it comes to the list of measures aimed at ensuring that a website is secure. Trust and security greatly depend on SSL certificates being managed the proper way and never in excess. Developers will need to keep an eye on the lifespan of the certificates, time usage of renewals and be able to provide those signed by Center authorities (CA) they trust.
As a last point, security best practises combined with regular security assessments (example: clock checking so default credentials are untouched, access control restrictions are observed) should practically accentuate a large decrease in chances of a security breach. As new threats emerge, it is the onus of the developers to stay up to trends and extend promising counters to the threats.