Authentication and Security

June 24, 2025

🔐 Authentication and Security – An Overview

✅ What is Authentication?

Authentication is the process of verifying who a user is.

🧾 Examples:

Logging in with a username and password

Using biometrics (fingerprint, face ID)

Logging in with Google or Facebook (OAuth)

✅ What is Authorization?

Authorization is the process of verifying what a user is allowed to do after they are authenticated.

🛂 Examples:

A regular user can view their profile

An admin can access all user data

A guest cannot access restricted pages

🧰 Common Authentication Methods

1. Username and Password

Most basic form

Should be encrypted and stored securely (e.g., using bcrypt or SHA-256)

Add rate limiting to prevent brute-force attacks

2. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA / 2FA)

Adds an extra layer (e.g., SMS, email code, app-based OTP like Google Authenticator)

Improves security significantly

3. OAuth 2.0 / OpenID Connect

Secure login using third-party identity providers like Google, Facebook, GitHub

Common in modern web and mobile apps

4. JWT (JSON Web Tokens)

A compact, secure way to represent user identity and session

Commonly used in APIs and Single Page Applications (SPAs)

json

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{

"alg": "HS256",

"typ": "JWT",

"payload": {

"user_id": 123,

"role": "admin",

"exp": 1689394827

}

🛡️ Security Best Practices

🔐 1. Use HTTPS

Always encrypt data in transit

Prevents man-in-the-middle attacks

🧂 2. Hash and Salt Passwords

Never store plain-text passwords

Use strong hashing algorithms (e.g., bcrypt)

🔒 3. Secure Session Management

Use secure cookies with flags like HttpOnly, Secure, SameSite

Expire sessions after inactivity

🚫 4. Prevent Common Attacks

SQL Injection → Use parameterized queries

XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) → Sanitize user inputs

CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery) → Use anti-CSRF tokens

🧪 5. Regular Security Testing

Use tools like:

OWASP ZAP (free security scanner)

Burp Suite (professional-grade testing tool)

Static code analysis tools

📦 Authentication in Automation Testing (Selenium/API)

🧬 1. Handle Login via UI

Use Selenium to fill and submit login forms.

🧪 2. Use Tokens for API Testing

Fetch a token via login API and pass it in headers:

java

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given().header("Authorization", "Bearer <your_token>")

.get("/api/user");

🔐 3. Mock Auth in Test Environments

In lower environments, you can bypass full auth to speed up automated tests using mock users or tokens.

📘 Conclusion

Authentication and security are critical for protecting users, systems, and data. Strong practices not only safeguard your application but also build user trust. In development and testing, it's important to handle authentication securely, whether through UI or API layers.

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