.NET CSRF Protection Guide: Examples and How to Enable

Creating and launching an app is just the beginning of a continuous journey, with security being a paramount concern due to the increasing value of data and the prevalence of web apps. One significant security threat is cross-site request forgery (CSRF), which involves a malicious actor tricking an authenticated user into executing unauthorized actions using their login credentials. The article discusses how CSRF attacks can lead to severe consequences, such as unauthorized information access or fund transfers, and emphasizes the importance of protection mechanisms. It explains that many programming languages and frameworks, including .NET, provide built-in defenses against CSRF attacks by using tokens that validate requests. The article further illustrates how to implement and test these protections in a .NET application using Visual Studio, showcasing how to activate anti-CSRF features and verifying their effectiveness with tools like Postman.