In Framer you can use Code Overrides to validate the length or value of input data. There’s also the OWASP Enterprise Security API (ESAPI), a freely available reference implementation of security-related methods that will come in handy when building a secure application. One common framework is Jakarta Server Faces (JSF), which provides support for input validation. If you’re working with Java, for instance, you’ll need input validation support specific to the framework you’re using. This can take the form of code, scripts, and commands, as well as other attacks that can exploit any vulnerabilities in your application. Input testing also protects you from input validation attacks - instances in which attackers deliberately enter malicious input, for the purposes of confusing your application and making it behave in a way it shouldn’t. Testing input lag is also important - not just ensuring the information you want to receive, but how quickly you’ll get it. Allowing users to submit data that does not meet this criteria would - at minimum - cause delays, and potentially also constitute a security risk.
through encouraging stronger passwords).įor example, let’s say that you’ve determined that the required format for a password is that it must be between 8 and 15 characters long, and that it must contain at least one uppercase letter, one special character, and one number. Secondly, form validation significantly improves security both yours and that of the user (e.g. Firstly, by adding an input validation pattern you guarantee that users will provide you with all the information you require, and in precisely the format that you need it. There are two main reasons why input validating is necessary when you design a form. Rather than letting in data you like, you’re more focused on keeping out data you don’t. You run validation checks along certain criteria, and the input that meets those criteria gets whitelisted.īlacklist validation, on the other hand, involves rejecting input known to be bad. This means the input complies with your expected format standards (length, size, range, data type). Whitelist validation involves only accepting input known to be good.
Regardless of whether your validation check happens on the client or server sides, there are two major approaches for input validation: whitelisting and blacklisting.
Whitelist input validation and other input security checks Indeed, any list of form validation best practices will recommend implementing both kinds of validation. Note that these are not alternative solutions, but rather complementary measures. Due to the high risk of malicious users managing to bypass client-side validation, server-side validation remains a necessary second step in any security process. Server-Side Validation This type of validation is performed by a web server, after input has been sent to the server.Catching incorrect data at this stage saves time by allowing the user to fix any errors immediately, before it is sent to the server. Client-Side Validation This is performed by the web browser, before input is sent to the web server.There are two principle types of input validation: Such as when choosing a password for login or when typing a message. The most common type of form validation, however, is simply that which lets users know if they have reached (or exceeded) a required minimum (or maximum) character count for a particular field. In a case where input into a specific field is required in order to proceed further, yet the user has left this area blank, input validation would notify them that they have overlooked this section of the form, urging them to fix the error in order to continue. Alternatively, if a field requires that the user enters a valid phone number or email address, input validation will let them know whether they have followed the accepted format for entering this data or not. For example, if the user has typed letters into a field reserved for numbers only, input validation would trigger an error message to inform them that they have not met the specific requirements for that box, and why. Form validation and dataįeedback provided by input validation can vary. The most common data types affected by form validation are passwords, email addresses, and HTML text.
Input validation - sometimes called form validation or input testing - refers to any type of verification that data has been correctly entered into an input field or that it meets certain specifications. Learn more about input validation What is input validation?