Best practices related to JavaScript security for securing your applications

 

JavaScript is a programming language that is widely used for building web and mobile applications. Like every other programming language, JavaScript also comes with a few security concerns. Following JavaScript security best practices is imperative when using this language. Malicious actors are constantly looking to exploit vulnerabilities in JavaScript, so it is essential to implement strong security measures. Common security threats include sensitive data disclosure, cross-site scripting, broken access control, man-in-the-middle attacks, session hijacking, and CSRF. There are several security measures one can implement to tackle these threats. 

Few best practices to enhance JavaScript security

Minor errors and oversights are enough for security to get compromised. Here are a few best practices that will come in handy when using JavaScript for application development. 

Be careful when writing the code

It is important to write quality code. This reduces bugs that lead to vulnerabilities in the code. Developers should acquaint themselves with the important concepts of JavaScript language to write quality code. They should use tools to find out errors in code early on. This will strengthen React Native security and prevent many threats in the future.

Assess third-party libraries

Third-party libraries can be a major source of security threats. Too much dependency on third-party libraries exposes applications to threats. Third-party libraries should be used only when necessary. The more you use them without thoroughly evaluating their need, the more likely your application will be prone to attacks. Third-party libraries present opportunities for threat actors to exploit the vulnerabilities.

Don't encourage user input

Accepting user input is another way of inviting attacks. Cross-site scripting attacks happen mostly through the manipulation of user inputs. Malicious actors use special characters to deceive browsers into interpreting the text as HTML. Sanitizing HTML and encoding output are best practices recommended for JavaScript security. Sanitization ensures unwanted characters are cleaned and the input is validated. 

Be mindful of JSON injection attack

This is an injection attack that targets applications with untrusted inputs. Both the server side and client side can be targeted through this attack. Sensitive information gets easily compromised through these kinds of attacks. Validating and sanitizing untrusted input, refraining from using functions that evaluate strings as code, and establishing a set of rules to restrict the use of certain functions are best practices to prevent injection attacks. 

Protect cookies 

Cookies are used to store information that is useful to serve visitors better. However, cookies present an opportunity for attackers to misuse the stored information. Security threats can be avoided by ensuring cookies are not sent over unencrypted networks. The browser should be instructed to send cookies with sensitive information only over secured networks. 

These are a few of the best practices to bear in mind when using JavaScript language. Employing in-app protection measures is critical to ensure well-rounded security for applications. Developers should take security into account right from the start. Incorporating security best practices when developing applications is the right approach to minimize risks and attacks.