Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) is like a sneaky online trick where a bad actor tricks you into doing something on a website without you realizing it.
Unauthorized Actions:
- CSRF makes you, the user, unknowingly perform actions on a website where you’re already logged in.
Tricking Users:
- The attacker tricks you through tricks like sending a link via email or chat, making you click on it.
No Data Theft, Just Actions:
- The goal is not to steal your information but to make you do certain things on the website without your consent.
State-Changing Requests:
- It targets actions that change the website’s state, like transferring money or changing settings.
How It Works:
- The attacker puts a request in a link and sends it to people logged into the website.
Potential Consequences:
- If you’re a regular user, it could make you do things like transferring money. For an admin, it could be even worse, compromising the entire website.
Impact of a Successful Attack:
- A successful attack can lead to serious issues like damaged relationships with users, unauthorized money transfers, changed passwords, and data theft.
Authentication Challenge:
- Since you’re logged in when the attack happens, it’s hard to tell if a request is legit or forged. This makes CSRF a tricky and potentially harmful attack.