CSRF protection mechanism in Django - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does CSRF stand for and why is it a security risk?

CSRF stands for Cross-Site Request Forgery. It is a security risk because it tricks a user’s browser into making unwanted actions on a website where they are authenticated, without their consent.

beginner

How does Django protect against CSRF attacks by default?

Django uses a CSRF token, a unique secret value, that must be included in POST forms and AJAX requests. The server checks this token to confirm the request is from the trusted user.

beginner

Where should you include the CSRF token in a Django HTML form?

Inside the form tag, you include {% csrf_token %} template tag. This adds a hidden input with the CSRF token value that the server will verify on form submission.

intermediate

What happens if a POST request in Django does not include a valid CSRF token?

Django will reject the request and return a 403 Forbidden error. This prevents unauthorized or forged requests from being processed.

intermediate

How can you exempt a Django view from CSRF protection if needed?

You can use the @csrf_exempt decorator on the view function to disable CSRF checks for that view. Use this carefully as it removes protection.

What is the main purpose of the CSRF token in Django?

A To encrypt user passwords

B To verify the request comes from the authenticated user

C To speed up page loading

D To store user session data

The CSRF token ensures that the request is made intentionally by the authenticated user, protecting against forged requests.

Where do you add the CSRF token in a Django template form?

A Inside the form tag using {% csrf_token %}

B In the URL query string

C In the page header

D In the CSS file

The {% csrf_token %} tag adds a hidden input with the token inside the form, which Django checks on submission.

What HTTP status code does Django return if CSRF validation fails?

A 403 Forbidden

B 404 Not Found

C 500 Internal Server Error

D 200 OK

Django returns 403 Forbidden to block requests that fail CSRF validation.

Which Django decorator disables CSRF protection for a view?

A @require_POST

B @login_required

C @cache_page

D @csrf_exempt

The @csrf_exempt decorator disables CSRF checks for the decorated view.

CSRF attacks exploit which of the following?

A Weak password policies

B Server-side database vulnerabilities

C User’s authenticated session in the browser

D Slow internet connections

CSRF attacks use the user’s authenticated session to perform unwanted actions without their knowledge.

Explain how Django’s CSRF protection works in a typical form submission.

Think about what happens from form rendering to form submission.

Describe a situation where you might need to disable CSRF protection in Django and how to do it safely.

Consider when CSRF tokens are not practical but security is still important.