User Submitted Data

One thing I would repeat in the docs here is what information actually comes from the user. Many people think a Cookie, since it's written by PHP, was safe. But the fact is that it's stored on the user's computer, transferred by the user's browser, and thus very easy to manipulate.

So, it'd be handy to mention here again that:

CGI parameters in the URL, HTTP POST data and cookie variables are considered "user data" and thus need to be validated. Session data and SQL database contents only need to be validated if they came from untrustworthy sources (like the ones just mentioned).

Not new, but I would have expected this info under this headline, at least as a short recap plus linlk to the actual docs.

making sure your form is submitted from your page! Could also be adapted to url, by additing &token to the query string and checking this against session data(or what ever array you like) with $_GET, not that this string is randomly generated and stored. If you like you could build your own array to store the generated string if you dont want to use $_SESSION, say you could make yours like $tokens = array(), and in your easysecure class you store all the stuff in that array!

<?php

class easysecure {
    
    var $curr_user;
    var $curr_permission;
    var $curr_task;
    var $validpermission;
    var $error;
    
    
    function &setVar( $name, $value=null ) {
        if (!is_null( $value )) {
            $this->$name = $value;
        }
        return $this->$name;
    }

    function maketoken($formname, $id){
        
        $token = md5(uniqid(rand(), true));
        
        $_SESSION[$formname.$id] = $token;
        
        return $token;
    }
    
    function checktoken($token, $formname, $id){
        //print_r($_SESSION);
        //echo ($token);
        //if we dont have a valid token, return invalid;
        if(!$token){
            $this->setVar('validpermission', 0);
            $this->setVar('error', 'no token found, security bridgedetected');
            return false;
        }
        
        //if we have a valid token check that is is valid
        $key = $_SESSION[$formname.$id];
        if($key !== $token ){
            $this->setVar('validpermission', 0);
            $this->setVar('error', 'invalid token');
            return false;
        }
        
        if($this->validpermission !==1){
              echo 'invalid Permissions to run this script';
              return false;    
        }else{
            return true;
        }
    }
    
}

?>

<?php $userid = *** //make it what ever id you like ?>
<form name="newform" action="index.php" method="post">
<input type="text" name="potentialeveilfield" value="" size 30 />
<input type="hidden" name="token" value="<?php echo maketoken(newform, $userid); //$userid here could be user profile id ?>" />
<input type="submit" />
</form>

Now when processing the form... check the value of your token

<?php

//well you know the form name
if(!checktoken($_POST['token'], 'newform', $userid))
{ //failed
exit(); //or what ever termination and notification method best suits you.
//you could also design the class your way to get more accurate fail (error messages from the var) 
}

//you can now continue with input data clean up (validation)

?>