Handling Client-Side Data Securely

Transmitting Data via the Client Many applications leave themselves exposed because they transmit critical data such as product prices and discount rates via the client in an unsafe manner. If possible, applications should avoid transmitting this kind of data via the client altogether. In virtually any conceivable scenario, it is possible to hold such data … Read more

ActiveX Controls

ActiveX controls are a much more heavyweight technology than Java applets. They are effectively native Win32 executables that, once accepted and installed by the user, execute with the full privileges of that user and can carry out arbitrary actions, including interacting with the operating system. ActiveX can be used to implement practically any client-side control, … Read more

Capturing User Data: Thick-Client Components

Besides HTML forms, the other main method for capturing, validating, and submitting user data is to use a thick-client component. The technologies you are most likely to encounter here are Java applets, ActiveX controls, and Shockwave Flash objects. Thick-client components can capture data in various different ways, both via input forms and in some cases … Read more

Capturing User Data: HTML Forms

The other principal way in which applications use client-side controls to restrict data submitted by clients occurs with data that was not originally specified by the server but was gathered on the client computer itself. HTML forms are the simplest and most common mechanism for capturing input from the user and submitting it to the … Read more

Bypassing Client-Side Controls

Transmitting Data via the Client It is very common to see an application passing data to the client in a form that is not directly visible or modifiable by the end user, in the expectation that this data will be sent back to the server in a subsequent request. Often, the application’s developers simply assume that … Read more