On Mar 21, 2007, at 9:28 PM, Steven A Bristol wrote:

>
>
> >
> > The typical session stores a handful of utilitarian info: a  
> user_id, a
> > flash message, and perhaps a return URL. You shouldn't, and needn't,
> > use the session for confidential data.
> >
> > I consider exposing these data (however obfuscated) as statement of
> > the reasonable bounds of session usage.
>
> Storing the user_id in a cookie is exactly the sort of security  
> hole that does concern me. What steps have been taken to ensure  
> that the data cannot be tampered?
>

The HMAC ensures that. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMAC) If the  
user tampers with the data, the MAC verification fails and the server  
rejects the session.

This discussion is about situations where confidentiality might be  
required -- where you might want to store something in the session  
that you don't want the user to be able to read.

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