JWT TOKEN ATTACKS AND DEFENSES

Аннотация

The rapid expansion of web applications, mobile platforms, and distributed systems has significantly increased the demand for secure authentication and authorization mechanisms. JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) have become one of the most widely adopted technologies for stateless authentication due to their scalability, portability, and efficiency in modern client-server architectures. However, improper JWT implementation and insecure token management introduce serious cybersecurity risks, including token theft, signature manipulation, replay attacks, and privilege escalation. This article examines the concept of JWT Token Attacks and Defenses in modern web and mobile systems. The paper explores the theoretical foundations of JWT authentication, token-based security models, cryptographic signing mechanisms, and authorization workflows. Furthermore, it proposes a layered security architecture for protecting JWT-based systems against common attack vectors. The study also discusses practical applications, security challenges, defensive strategies, and future research directions related to secure token management and API protection.