I'm having trouble with cookies on my site's registration form.
When a user creates an account, PHP sets one cookie with their user id, and one cookie with a hash containing their user agent and a few other things. Both of these cookies are set to expire in an hour.
This is the code that sets the cookie after creating your account
$registerHash = hash( "sha512", $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT'] . $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] . $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] );
setcookie("register_user_id", $newUserID, time() + 7200, "/");
setcookie("register_hash", $registerHash, time() + 7200, "/");
The next page is a confirmation page which sends an email and then optionally lets the user go on to fill out more account information. If the user goes on to fill out more, it uses the cookie to know what account to save it to. It works correctly in Firefox and IE, but in Chrome the cookie is forgotten as soon as you go to the next page. The cookie simply doesn't exist.
You can see the problem here:
http://crewinyourcode.com/register/paid/
If you use Chrome, you will get a registration timeout error as soon as you try to advance past the confirmation page. However on Firefox it works fine.
It turns out this actually was a problem of the files being in different directories, despite my cookie being set for "/", and it was forgetting across multiple. I solved it by moving all the files into the same place.
Related
I've inherited a ColdFusion site, despite no background in CF, but have been tasked with making a change to the behavior of the site. I'm running into a problem with cookies, though.
A site on another domain is linking to this site and includes a query string. Now I'm checking for that value (a zip code) in the index.cfm file and storing it in the cookie and that seems to be working fine. I looped through the cookie collection and dumped the results, and the zip code was there. So at this point, all is well.
But then the user clicks on a button, which reloads the index.cfm file with a different <include>, and the cookie no longer has any values other than CFID and CFTOKEN. This was confirmed by looping through the cookie collection, and later by Fiddler.
Client storage is set to cookie, and I can't find anywhere in the index.cfm, application.cfm, or the included files where the cookie is being set to expire.
Here's the line that's storing the value:
<cfcookie name="ZC_Zip" value="#ZC.ZC_Zip#" expires="NEVER">
What else should I be looking for to figure this out? It's ColdFusion 5, if that helps.
Cookies without a set expiration are set to a default of expiring at session close. Could this reload be resetting the session of the user?
Making a login script and I have the following cookies right now :
This is on every page, but expires on browser close.
session_name('Test_Login');
session_set_cookie_params(0, '/', '.test.com', false, false);
session_start();
This is stores the username if a successful login happens. When returning to the site it will fill out the username in the login form.
setcookie('Test_User', $_POST['username'], time()+365*24*60*60, '/', '.test.com', false, false);
This remembers the value of the 'remember me' option on the login form - true or false.
setcookie('Test_Remember', $_POST['rememberMe'], time()+365*24*60*60, '/', '.test.com', false, false);
This stores the user plain text password if they selected the remember me option above and lets them automatically login when visiting the site even after browser close within a day. If this and user cookie are present it checks if valid and creates the user session variables again.
setcookie('Test_Pass', $_POST['password'], time()+24*60*60, '/', '.test.com', false, false);
Other things to consider are if you log out the session pass cookie is destroyed.
My problems : I md5 and salt the user password for storage in the database. I actually never know the users pass. Problem is with the remember option I am storing their password in plain view in the cookie. What is the best way to store the pass in a cookie and it be useable in this fashion? What is the standard of doing so? Basically I just want this to act same as Facebook or any other login system. If you tell it to remember you it does - so how do they store the info to log back in without doing so in plain text in the cookie?
Is it best practice to have a separate cookie (4) for this? The session cookie makes sense, but is there not a more optimized way on my end to combine the other three?
You shouldn't store the password in a cookie it's not a good practice and can lead to security issues (somebody could "steal" the cookie for example and get the user password).
Instead, once the user has been correctly authenticated once, you could save the sessionId in a cookie and on next visit the sessionId will be passed to the server which will be able to retrieve the session. For additional security store the IP address too and check that it is the same when reopening the session. You could also make your server sessions expire after 2 weeks for example.
To do this you need to use a cookie, not a session cookie (which is deleted once the browser is closed).
Check session_set_cookie_params() and give session cookie a lifetime.
See the PHP manual for more info: http://www.php.net/manual/en/session.configuration.php#ini.session.cookie-lifetime
In the end, if you really want more security, you should definitely have a look at SSL.
You should use session variables instead of storing the data in a cookie.
Here's an example in PHP
<?php
session_start();
$_SESSION['password'] = 'YOUR PASSWORD HERE';
//then you can reference the session variable in your code
echo $_SESSION['password'];
?>
You can set how long the sessions will stay for and the user cannot directly access the session variables because they are stored on the server. This is the way many secure login system works.
Multiple sources have pointed to http://jaspan.com/improved_persistent_login_cookie_best_practice as the best practice for my purposes.
Classic problem, a web app has secure and insecure pages (ie. account page is secure (HTTPS) and faq page is insecure (HTTP)), as a developer, I want the user to see a customized login button on the insecure pages (ie. it says 'click to login' if you are new to the site and 'Welcome User click to see your account' if you have a session.
To do this, I have secure cookies set by the server sent only when on the account page, but that account page (via jQuery) will also set an insecure cookie based on the secure one. The insecure cookies can be used by the browser to update the login button (via Javascript).
I am using a random string (randomized on the server each time) for the path to prevent the cookie from ever being sent over the wire. This data is just a username so it's not critical that it is completely locked down, however, it should still be guarded.
Cookie set here using jQuery (jQuery cookie plugin):
$.cookie('userLoggedIn', 'username', { domain: '.example.com', httpOnly: false, path: 'DFKLJGHDFDLFKHGAFDAKDJFH', expires: [one year], secure: false });
So far so good, but to a hacker, does path randomization work to prevent the stealing of insecure cookies?
I know that this is a very old question, but I will try to answer it.
Yes and No.
It doesn't necessarily need to be completely random - the only reason for it to be random is to make sure user never tries to get to that url, nor any ajax request goes there. To make sure that happens, you can use e.g. an UUID in the path.
You also need to make sure you control ALL of the JS on your domain.
That way the cookie will never get sent over the wire (the only way for it to get sent over the wire is for your JS to read it off document.cookie property and attach it or somehow send a request for that randomised URL).
A hacker won't be able to read the cookie, because browsers protect cookies from JS executed from other domains (protocol://domain:port combination has to match).
So the only way left to read off the cookie is to have access to the machine, then cookies can be read from disc as it is saved as plain text. But there are way more security vulnerabilities that come with having access to the user account.
So to answer your question, it is quite secure, but you have to keep in mind the vulnerabilities that come with such a solution.
we have a web service for some numerical computing. It has a registered mode, in which a user has to register to have its results sent by mail.
We would like to keep track of how long the user stays logged. The login time is written in the database upon successful registration. Registration in not permanent, it's just for the purpose of single session and is used for acquiring the user email.
There are a few situations possible:
User logs out normally via the logout button.
Simplest solution. Write the time and logout in the database, and delete session.
User logs out by session expiry.
I'm planning on having a script which would check all the database entries which don't have a set logout time and if current time - login time > expiry time write logout time in a database as login time + expiry time.
User logs out by browser close.
The sessions have a get_expire_at_browser_close() set to True. But i don't know how can the server detect browser closure.
Ideas, critics, comments?
In django session middleware these lines control session expiration if we want that SESSION_EXPIRE_AT_BROWSER_CLOSE:
if settings.SESSION_EXPIRE_AT_BROWSER_CLOSE:
max_age = None
expires = None
Server doesn't have to do detect anything as cookie that has no max_age or expires set should be deleted on the client side, according to this page:
By setting either of these, the cookie will persist until its time runs out, otherwise—if you set neither—the cookie will last until you close your browser (a “session cookie”).
Edit:
One way of tracking how long user was online is by using javascript that will ping server every now and then. It will happen only as long as the user has page opened in browser and on every ping server should update last seen online value for the user.
When user closes browser session is over. Next time user logs in server can calculate duration of his last visit as last seen online - last login time.
Simpler solution without using any javascript: last seen online could be updated on every user request using simple custom middleware.
I don't understand how google achieve the following mechanism of single sign on:
I login in gmail for example (I suppose this creates a cookie withmy authorization)
I open a new tab and direct type the url of "youtube"
Then I enter youtube logged in.
How can this second site detect that I've already been logged in.
They are different domains. Youtube can't read the cookie of Gmail.
All the solutions I've read about Single sign on don't allow this. The client always ask permission to a central login app.
In my example YouTube doesn't know I am the same user logged in Gmail (actually it does know, but I don't understand how)
Note that I type the url of "youtube" by hand. I don't clic the youtube icon from the upper toolbar of gmail (In that case gmail may pass some auth params through the url for example).
The cookies are set on specific domains. Ex:
setcookie(name,value,expire,path,domain)
When you log in on gmail, before "mail.google.com", you have been redirected to "accounts.google.com" then to "mail.google.com" so the cookies are on "accounts.google.com" too.
In this case, the domain is "accounts.google.com" and the path is "/" (the home path).
When you request "www.youtube.com" then you click on "connection" it requests
"accounts.google.com" fast so you can't see this redirection and checks if you have cookies on "accounts.google.com". If so, it checks if the cookies are valid and not expired, or user not banned... Then it redirects you to "www.youtube.com/signin?loginthisSession=Sessionid". This request contains the value of the of sessionid cookie catched from the cookies of "accounts.google.com".
In the last step, "www.youtube.com" logs you and set its own cookie on the domain "www.youtube.com" and saves them.
So the trick is on the 302 HTTP redirect.
Update
i do not know why people keep mentioning iframe take a look at the date whene this questions was posted on 2016 google was not using then iframe as i mentioned the capture of web traffic as you can see SetSID wich means set the cookie of SESSION_ID from accounts.google.dz(com) then redirects to youtube.com it can not be used trought iframe differant domains security measure you can not be redirected from domain to domain trought iframe neither please read this before posting
Cookies and localStorage can be shared between domains using an intermediate domain. On the home page is embedded an "iframe ', which accesses cookies and sends messages to the main.
mail.google.com and youtube.com can share the cookies using accounts.google.es. Open Chrome->Inspect->Resources->Local storage and you will see in accounts.google.com the authentication token in JWT format.
I have detailed the technical steps in this answer: https://stackoverflow.com/a/37565692/6371459. Also take a look at https://github.com/Aralink/ssojwt to see an implementation of a Single Sign On using JWT in a central domain
Check this out.. http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/106439/Single-Sign-On-SSO-for-cross-domain-ASP-NET-applic.
The article consist explanation and sample of SSO cross domain.
As far as I remember, if I am not wrong, cookies contains a specified field that contains the domain that can read and get such cookie. That is made in order to prevent certain web sites to read all your cookie list and make your own business. You should be able to see which kind of sites can 'see' your gmail cookie.
Correct me if I am wrong, this should compile the answer given regarding the SID and gmail-YouTube example..
While evaluating this cross domain SSO topic, I have come up with possible a new SSO synchronization flow using cookie with timestamp. Although it is not a flow used by Google, I think this flow is possible to implement for system with limited number of domains.
This flow do not use 3rd party cookie
This is going to be a long post :)
domains
To make an example, let say we have these domains for our example pet forums:
https://account.domain1.com (For SSO Login)
.domain1.com (e.g. https://cat.domain1.com)
.domain2.com (e.g. https://dog.domain2.com)
.domain3.com (e.g. https://rabbit.domain3.com)
Change to https://account.domain1.com:
Add https://account.domain2.com and https://account.domain3.com, route both host name traffic to the server hosting https://account.domain1.com
Login Steps:
User go to dog.domain2.com, user have not sign in yet.
User click the Login button in dog.domain2.com
User get redirect to account.domain1.com for login
This step can be any Login protocol, OAuth, OIDC, SAML, CAS, etc
So, it is important for user to be redirected back to original page after login
Let say this https://account.domain1.com?redirect_uri=https://dog.domain2.com
redirect_uri as in the URL to go back after login success
User Input username & password, login success
New step, before redirect back to https://dog.domain2.com, set cookies on all domains
Redirect browser to https://accounts.domain2.com?...
Set a cookie on the .domains2.com domain (More on the cookie value later)
Redirect browser to https://accounts.domain2.com?...
Set a cookie on the .domains3.com domain
Redirect browser to https://accounts.domain1.com?...
Set a cookie on the .domains1.com domain
Redirect back to original flow
Redirect user back to their original service, i.e. https://dog.domain2.com
Now, right after login flow we have cookies over all 3 domains. Any of our service (e.g. https://cat.domain1.com / https://dog.domain2.com / https://rabbit.domain2.com ) can access this cookie under their own domain.
Cookie Content
The content of the cookie, should allows for any webpage to look at it, and determine if SSO sync is needed
Different types of cookie content can be stored, including
Boolean indicate user logined or not
User ID
Expired At timestamp
Boolean indicate user logined or not
Storing have_user_login = true / false have sync issue
Suppose User A login, visit https://cat.domain1.com, User A Logout, and User B login
Now, from https://cat.domain1.com standpoint, no sync is needed
However, https://cat.domain1.com is storing User A instead of User B, hence the sync issue.
User ID
While it is tempting to just stored the user_id on those cookie, and let all the domain to see them and set the user accordingly.
This is way too dangerous, since the cookie is set at the parent domain,
if any of the website under your domain been hacked, impersonation might happen (Copying any of the user_id, pasting it to their own browser cookie).
Expired At Timestamp
What I suggest, is for the cookie value to set as the SSO expired time, and set the type as session cookie, this have the following benefits:
An expired time have minimal security impact if leaked / altered
Our website can check the expired time to know if user need to relogin
As for why session cookie, is for when user close them browser, and tried to login again, the cookie will be deleted hence logout the user as well
Any webpage that use the SSO, should also stored a cookie themselves with the same expired time
There will be cases that, User A Login, visit https://cat.domains1.com Then User B Login
Since User A and User B will have a different login expired time, storing and compare that timestamp will tell the user to sync with SSO again
Example checking implement for your service
E.g. On https://cat.domains1.com, you can add this to the top of your page load
<?php
$sso_expired_time = $_COOKIE["sso_expired_time "] ?? 0;
$website_expired_time = $_COOKIE["website_expired_time "] ?? 0;
if( (int) $sso_expired_time < time() || $sso_expired_time !== $website_expired_time ) {
// User not sync, perform sync
setcookie("website_expired_time", $website_expired_time,0,"/", $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'], true, true);
// Redirect to https://account.domain1.com for Login
// Or, Initiate the login sequence for your selected login protocol
header("Location: https://account.domain1.com/.....")
exit;
}
// User is sync
// Page load success, continue other operation
Logout
Login is very similar to Login, basically:
Before logout goes through, redirect to all 3 domains just like login
Remove the SSO cookie
Continue the normal logout flow
Pro and cons for the methods:
Pro: All domain sync possible
Pro: No need to relies on 3rd party cookie
Cons: First time login longer (around 50ms longer)
Cons: Customization on every website is needed for the sync to works