Guide to Content Security Policy (CSP)
What is Content Security Policy (CSP)?
Content Security Policy (CSP) is a security standard introduced to prevent Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) and other code injection attacks resulting from execution of malicious content in the trusted web page context. It's a layer of security that helps to detect and suppress specific types of attacks, including XSS and data injection attacks.
Why is CSP Important?
CSP is significant because it works by defining the trusted sources of content for a web page reducing the risk associated with the injection of anything malicious. This provides a level of protection against the loading or execution of unauthorized or malicious scripts.
How does CSP work?
A web page administrator can add Content-Security-Policy HTTP header to a web page. This header is used to define the trusted sources of content that a web page can load. When the policy is violated, the browser will not load the untrusted content and the violation can be reported.
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Content Security Policy (CSP)
Understand what CSP is: Be sure to know the definition of CSP and its role in securing a webpage. Know the importance of CSP: Explain why CSP is an essential feature in web security, relating it to the prevention of XSS attacks. Explain how CSP works: Be capable of describing how CSP functions. It will also be helpful to find real-life examples of CSP in action to fully understand its implementation. Practice: Answer practice questions on CSP to ensure you understand and can apply the concept effectively.