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(1) Modification-prevention (the changing your account to someone else's by modifying the user id situation) is provided by the HMAC, not encryption. This is wh
by shadowfiend 15y ago
(1) Modification-prevention (the changing your account to someone else's by modifying the user id situation) is provided by the HMAC, not encryption. This is why Rails session cookies are not encrypted (as far as I know), for example.
(2) If someone has your cookie, they're either already on your connection or they're on your computer.
(3) The only situation where this provides any security is one in which you store data in the cookie that would not be accessible to the same user through the site. I can't think of any such data in any of my experience, but I will absolutely grant that such data may exist.
- marshray 15y ago(1) Well, he said > If properly encrypted with an authenticated encryption mechanism (2) Being on one's connection is the default assumption of the internet security model. (3) Right, the confidentiality of the site's data from the site's user may not be critical. But if done properly it does allow the site to ensure that the data it stored has not been tampered with (except perhaps to drop it or replay it). Surely this can be useful.