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🧞‍♂️API Security Cheat Sheet PART - 8

Innovative Authentication Techniques and Their Security Implications

  1. Leading Zeros in Numeric Strings

    {"login": "000123",
     "password": "000456"}

    Description: Involves numeric strings with leading zeros, highlighting the need for handling numeric formats accurately in string fields.

  2. Multilingual Input (English and Korean)

    {"login": "admin관리자",
     "password": "password비밀번호"}

    Description: Combines English and Korean characters, underscoring the importance of multilingual support and character encoding.

  3. Extremely Long Keys

    {"a"*10000: "admin",
     "b"*10000: "password"}

    Description: Demonstrates extraordinarily long keys, pointing to the need for handling and limiting key lengths in JSON objects.

  4. Extremely Long Unicode Strings

    {"login": "\u0061"*10000,
     "password": "\u0062"*10000}

    Description: Features excessively long Unicode strings, emphasizing the necessity of input length control and proper Unicode handling.

  5. JSON Strings with Semicolon

    {"login": "admin;",
     "password": "password;"}

    Description: Utilizes semicolons, stressing the importance of correctly parsing and validating such characters.

  6. JSON Strings with Backticks

    {"login": "`admin`",
     "password": "`password`"}

    Description: Contains backticks, indicating the need for proper handling of alternative quotation marks.

  7. JSON Strings with Plus Sign

    {"login": "admin+",
     "password": "password+"}

    Description: Features plus signs, highlighting the significance of correctly interpreting and handling special characters.

  8. JSON Strings with Equal Sign

    {"login": "admin=",
     "password": "password="}

    Description: Uses equal signs, emphasizing the need for thorough input validation.

  9. Strings with Asterisk (*) Symbol

    {"login": "admin*",
     "password": "password*"}

    Description: Incorporates asterisks, underscoring the importance of handling wildcard or special characters.

  10. JSON Containing JavaScript Code

    {"login": "admin<script>alert('hi')</script>",
     "password": "password"}

    Description: Shows the potential for JavaScript injection, highlighting the critical need for sanitization to protect against XSS attacks.


This extensive and detailed list of API authentication scenarios is designed to aid developers and security experts in navigating the myriad challenges inherent in securing APIs. Each case presents unique considerations, from managing different character sets and data formats to ensuring robust validation and sanitization, all vital for maintaining a secure API environment.

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