How to Secure ReactJS App? ReactJS Security Best Practices to Follow

In React Development, crafting user-centric applications is important. However, there is one important concept that has been overlooked in the software development lifecycle. The aspect is ensuring the security of these applications.

Security vulnerabilities in React apps can have significant consequences. Incorrect user information can leave the door open for cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks, where malicious scripts steal sensitive information or redirect users. Similarly, SQL injection vulnerabilities can be used to manipulate data and corrupt entire systems.

React Security provides essential protection against such threats. By adhering to best practices such as data trust, secure communication protocols, and dependency management, developers can build robust and reliable applications This ensures that user data remains secure, provides reliability, and it makes the app successful for a long time.

Building a React application is exciting, but don’t forget the security! Just like any good fortress, your app needs defenses against hidden threats. Let’s explore some of the most common vulnerabilities React applications face and equip ourselves with strategies to combat them effectively.  This will ensure the integrity of your creation and keep user data safe.

Most Common Security Threat to a React Application

Because Reactjs is such an essential element of the tech stack, consider your company’s inescapable reactjs security risks and ramifications. And, because React.js is updated and improved regularly, the list of react security vulnerabilities is extensive. We’ll go over the six most prevalent cyber assaults on react.js in this part. Let’s take a closer look at each of them:

Cross-site Scripting (XSS)

Cross-site Scripting is the first of several security issues with reactjs. An injection of a malicious script into the code of a web application is referred to as XSS. This script gets picked up by the browser and interpreted as authentic. The malicious code is then executed as part of an app. The following diagram depicts the process of an attacker injecting XSS code to steal a user’s or visitor’s session cookies:

A successful XSS attack might allow the attacker to steal the user’s credentials, take sensitive data from the app’s pages, transmit the request to the server, and more.

Reactjs, like most modern frameworks, has an XSS defence built-in. SQL Injection is frequently confused with SQLi. Even though they both suggest malicious code injection, they are not the same thing. On the other hand, XSS makes the user susceptible, whereas SQLi attacks the application. There are in-built solutions for protecting XSS attacks. Regrettably, they aren’t entirely adequate. XSS is the most popular JavaScript attack to this day.

Understand it better with the example given below.

Let’s look at the Samy worm, which exploited the MySpace XSS vulnerability, for a better understanding. One of the most rapidly spreading viruses in history.

import React, {useState} from 'react';
import createDOMPurify from ‘dompurify’;
function App(){
 const [text, setText] = useState(‘’);
 function updateText(e){
   setText(e.target.value);
 }
  return (
   <div>
      <input onChange={updateText} type="text" value={text} />
      <div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{__html: createDOMPurify(text)}}/ >
   </div>
  )
}
export default App;

Also Read: – Best React UI Framework You Should Know In 2024

Broken Authentication

An inadequate or insufficient authorization is another major problem with React.js applications. Session IDs being exposed in URLs, attackers discovering easy and predictable login details, the unencrypted transmission of credentials, valid sessions lasting after logout, and other session-related aspects are all hazards linked with broken authorization. As a result, attackers may gain access to user credentials and conduct brute force assaults.

SQL Injection

SQL Injection sometimes referred to as SQLi, is a standard web application attack. The cybercriminal aims to use logical database manipulation to gain sensitive data that should not be displayed. Attackers attempt to gain access to sensitive information to obtain phone numbers, payment information, and other information.

The attackers can use this response react security strategy to regulate access to the server, pull data, and modify database values. Hackers can potentially erase data in addition to altering it.

Consider the following scenario, in which the owner is the current user-ID.

string query = "SELECT * FROM logondata WHERE owner = "'"

+ empID + "' AND empName = '"

+ EmpName.Text + "'";

The following query gets generated by combining both the employee ID and employee name.

SELECT * FROM logondata

WHERE owner =

AND empName = ;

The issue here is that the main code uses the concept of concatenation, which aids in the combination of those data. As the employee name, the attackers can use a string like 'empName' or 'x' = 'x'. As a result, the statement returns True for all table values. As a result, the following question becomes:

SELECT * FROM log data

WHERE owner = 'Adien.'

AND empName = 'name' OR 'x' = 'x';

Zip Slip

Zip Slip is the third item on the list of reacting security concerns. In React applications, a vulnerability is known as “zip-slip” includes exploiting the feature that allows users to upload zip files.

If the archive used to unpack the zip file is not secure, the attackers could unzip the uploaded files outside of the given directory and obtain access to the file.

Arbitrary Code Execution

ACE is another one of the most significant security vulnerabilities. ACE is a software or hardware security vulnerability that allows arbitrary code execution. The capacity of an attacker to execute arbitrary code on a target process is known as arbitrary code execution (ACE). An arbitrary code execution exploits when a product or software is abused using this vulnerability. This vulnerability is particularly hazardous because it can arise in some public products, exposing all people who utilize it.

The WannaCry ransomware outbreak is the finest example of how these attacks work.

XML External Entity Attack (XXE)

XXE is another one of the react frontend security problems. Web applications that use XML (Extensible Markup Language), a text-based language for storing and organizing data in a web app, are vulnerable to XXE assaults. An XML parser is required for converting XML into usable code. These attacks frequently target such parsers, and an attacker can use XXE to launch a CSRF or DDOS assault. The fundamental problem is that XML parsers are vulnerable to these attacks by default. Thus, it’s up to your development team to protect yourself.

Also Read: – Best React Developer Tools

14 React Security Best Practices

Here are some tips for securing react apps. These react security solutions will help resolve the issues that might arise while securing the react application.

Securing Against DDoS Attack

Typically, this type of security vulnerability occurs when the program has some flaws in concealing the IPs of services or when the app isn’t secure enough.

Solution:

• Rate limits on APIs: You can limit the number of requests from a specific source to a specific IP. Axios has a complete package named Axios-rate-limit for limiting the rate of APIs
• You can use the API to add app-level restrictions
• Always make calls from the server, not from the client
• Add some validation to the app layer to make it safer

Default XSS Protection with Data Binding

To place data in your elements, you can utilize the JSX data-binding syntax { }. While utilizing default data binding with curly brackets { }, React will automatically escape values to defend against XSS attacks. It’s important to note that this protection only applies to text content, not HTML properties.

Solution:
Use this:

<div>{data}</div>

Avoid dynamic attributes values without custom validation

Don’t use this:

<form action={data}>…

You can also use reactjs content security policies as the last line of defence against XSS. If all other XSS prevention fails, CSP allows developers to control various things, such as loading external scripts and executing inline scripts. To deploy CSP, developers need to include an HTTP response header called Content-Security-Policy with the value carrying the policy.

default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'; object-src 'none'; frame-src 'none'; base-uri 'none';

Rendering HTML

Using dangerouslySetInnerHTML, you can directly enter HTML into a displayed DOM node. Any text that is introduced in this manner must be sanitized first. Before putting any values into the dangerouslySetInnerHTML prop, use a sanitization library like dompurify.

Solution:
Use dompurify when inserting HTML into DOM.

Import purify from “dompurify”;
< div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html:purify.sanitize (data)}}/ >

Securing HTTP Authentication

Suppose your app offers an authentication function that allows users to log in or create accounts. In that case, you should ensure it’s safe because client-side authentication and authorization are often vulnerable to security issues that can compromise the app’s protocols.

Solution:
Most prominently, you would’ve used one of the following methods to add authentication:

Injection JSON State

JSON data is frequently sent in conjunction with server-side rendered React pages. To avoid injection attacks, make sure to escape HTML significant values. To avoid injection attacks, always escape characters with a beginning value.

window.__PRELOADED_STATE__ =   ${JSON.stringify(preloadedState).replace( /</g, '\\u003c')}

Configuring Security Linters

Install Linter settings and plugins to detect and advise on security vulnerabilities in your code automatically. Using a library like husky, set up a pre-commit hook that fails if security-related Linter concerns are identified. When new vulnerabilities in the version you’re using are discovered, you can use synk to update to a new version automatically. To discover security vulnerabilities in a codebase, use the ESLint React security config.

Avoid Dangerous Library Code

The library code is routinely used to perform potentially dangerous actions, such as directly inserting HTML into the DOM. Review library code or use linters to find hazardous uses of React’s security mechanisms.

Also Read: – Top React Chart Libraries to Visualize your Data in 2024

Solutions:

Avoid libraries with a history of putting people in danger. SetInnerHTML, innerHTML, unvalidated URLs, and other unsafe patterns exist. Use security Linters on your node modules folder to detect harmful patterns in your library code.

Detecting vulnerable React Version

Because the React library has had a few high-severity vulnerabilities in the past, it’s a good idea to stay up to date with the most recent version. To prevent vulnerable versions, use npm outdated to see the newest versions of reacting and react-dom.

Adding end-to-end Encryption

The global average cost of a data breach, according to Statista, is $4.24 million. In most situations, the data breach is triggered by online apps failing to offer End-to-End encryption. As an engineering lead, you should secure the security of your react application by implementing end-to-end encryption. This encryption is used by your application to protect the communication between its users. Transferring private information to third parties is not a good idea.

End-to-end encryption is a time-saving feature:

• Encrypt data with public and private keys despite the complex structure
• Use asymmetric algorithms such as RSA to encrypt the primary key
• The symmetric AES technique was used to encrypt the transactions
• Encryption libraries like encrptjs and cryptojs are beneficial for server-side and client-side encryption

Direct DOM Access

It’s preferable to avoid directly inserting material into DOM elements using the DOM. If you must inject HTML, sanitize it using dangerouslySetInnerHTML and dompurify before doing so.

Soultion:

Import purify from “dompurify”;
< div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html:purify.sanitize (data)}}/ >

To directly inject content using innerHTML and comparable attributes or methods, avoid utilizing refs and findDomNode() to access rendered DOM nodes.

Don’t do this:

this.myRef.current.innerHTML = attackerControlledValue;

Securing Against Libraries & Components

There is always a risk associated when using third-party libraries, modules, or APIs in your React app. Sure, they aid in the speedy creation of features, but who knows if their own set of security problems could cause your react app to crash.

Solution:

• Attempt to upgrade these libraries manually to the most recent secure and stable version
• Older versions of the react secure component should be patched with newer versions
• Before incorporating any libraries into your project, make a quick check for security flaws. While you’re looking for flaws, see whether any potential fixes are offered

Also Read: – Top React Native UI Components Libraries

Insecure Deserialization

If you recall our conversation on how to defend your react web application from XXE, you’ll recall that data serialization leads to specific react js security issues. However, the deserialization of objects injected by an authorized user or an attacker results in the remote execution of programs, which might cause an application’s behaviour to change.

Solutions:

• Conduct integrity checks to ensure that no malicious objects are injected
• Think about code segregation
• Before the unauthorized construction of code objects, impose rigorous deserialization limitations

Security Against Broken Authentication

Invalid authentication processes, incorrect implementation, and failing authentication functionalities can lead to credential compromise or exploitation in your web application. Automated brute force assaults or, in some situations, authentication failure, may result from credential stuffing.

Solutions:

• Multi-factor authentication should be implemented
• Recover the passwords
• Connect the APIs
• Secure access will be provided via cloud-native authentication technologies

Validating URL Parsing

When linking material with the anchor tag a> and URLs, be wary of attackers introducing payloads that are prefixed with JavaScript. Always validate the URL using the HTTP or HTTPS protocols to avoid malicious script insertion via URL.

function validateURL(url) {
 const parsed = new URL(url)
 return ['https:', 'http:'].includes(parsed.protocol)
}
<a href={validateURL(url) ? url : ''}>This is a link! </a>

The allowlist/blocklist function is another method for protecting your React application. Allowlist refers to a list of all the safe and accessible URLs. While a blocklist is a list of all potential risks that will be blocked if access is requested, a whitelist is a list of all potential dangers that will not be blocked. Because keeping track of all potentially hazardous connections can be challenging, it’s a good idea to allow only known sites and block everything else. Broken authentication, XSS, arbitrary code execution, and SQL Injection can all be prevented via URL validation.

The allowlist/blocklist function is another method for protecting your React application. Allowlist refers to a list of all the safe and accessible URLs. While a blocklist is a list of all potential risks that will be blocked if access is requested, a whitelist is a list of all potential dangers that will not be blocked. Because keeping track of all potentially hazardous connections can be challenging, it’s a good idea to allow only known sites and block everything else. Broken authentication, XSS, arbitrary code execution, and SQL Injection can all be prevented via URL validation.

React Security Checklist

• Disable any instruction-containing markup
• With Jscrambler, you can keep reactjs safe
• Idle timeout should be implemented
• Use snippet libraries such as ES7 React, Redux, and others
• Conduct Reactjs code audits, filtering all app inputs with whitelists
• Use vulnerability scanners, a web app firewall, and serialize javascript NPM packages to improve app security
• Examine your code for flaws and potentially hazardous code, such as URLs and HTML components
• Appropriate authentication techniques should be used
• Check for SQL injection in the database
• Validate all API functions according to API Schema

Wrapping Up!

Many global corporations look for top React development companies to construct their web solutions. I hope this article has provided you with a clear picture of the most common React security vulnerabilities and the various checklists developers can use to solve them. Developers should be aware of the importance of application security for both the business and the users. You’ll have fewer typing options and more explicit code if you use React security practices. This list of React security best practices will guide you in the right direction and, in the long run, eliminate any future development issues.