Insecure Cookie Configuration

Detects cookies set without Secure, HttpOnly, or SameSite attributes.

zakirkun Updated

File contents

Insecure Cookie Configuration

Overview

Cookies that store session tokens or authentication data must be configured with security attributes to prevent theft and CSRF attacks:

  • Secure: Cookie only sent over HTTPS
  • HttpOnly: Cookie inaccessible to JavaScript (prevents XSS token theft)
  • SameSite: Prevents cross-site request forgery (Strict or Lax)

Missing any of these attributes expands the attack surface.

Detection Strategy

Look for Set-Cookie headers or cookie-setting function calls that omit one or more of the critical security flags.

Remediation

Always set session cookies with all three security attributes.

Vulnerable (Go):

http.SetCookie(w, &http.Cookie{
    Name:  "session",
    Value: token,
})

Safe (Go):

http.SetCookie(w, &http.Cookie{
    Name:     "session",
    Value:    token,
    Secure:   true,
    HttpOnly: true,
    SameSite: http.SameSiteStrictMode,
})

zakirkun/ice-tea/tree/main/skills/auth/insecure-cookie commit 7bffa4dedd

Frequently asked questions

npx skillmds@latest add zakirkun/insecure-cookie-configuration