I have a no-framework web application. I need to implement a simple way to check unsuccessful logins, using sessions. If the user attempts to log in 3 times using incorrect username/password combination, they will be given a 20 minute timeout before they can try logging in again.
Currently I only set a user session if the user successfully logs in to the system. However, it seems that I should get a session in case of unsuccessful login also, and count the login attempts somehow.
Login.jsp (simplified version):
<form name="loginForm" method="post" action="CustomerData">
User name:<input type="text" name="userName"/>
Password:<input type="password" name="password"/>
<input type="button" value="submit">
CustomerData.java (simplified version):
// See if customer is a valid user
String selectQuery = "Select firstName,lastName,email from customer where userName='"+userName+"' and password='"+password+"'";
selectResult = statement.executeQuery(selectQuery);
if(selectResult.next())
{
// We got a valid user, let's log them in
....
HttpSession session = request.getSession(true);
session.setAttribute("customer", customer);
}
else
{
// this is where I need to get the session id (??),
// count the unsuccessful login attempts somehow,
//and give them a 20 minutes timeout before they can try logging in again.
request.setAttribute("message","Invalid username or password. Please try again!");
}
While doing research, I found that there are a lot of built-in security features for various Java frameworks. I also found that using sessions is not the best way to track login attempts, because the user can log-in with different browsers. However, I'm creating this functionality for a simple web project that will never go to any production environment. I would like to know how to implement this functionality using the Java HTTPSession Object.
Ok, here is my full solution, based on the feedback I received. I'm posting this in case it might help others with similar issues:
// See if customer is a valid user
String selectQuery = "Select firstName,lastName,email from customer where userName='"+userName+"' and password='"+password+"'";
selectResult = statement.executeQuery(selectQuery);
if(selectResult.next())
{
// We got a valid user, let's log them in
Customer customer = new Customer();
customer.setFirstName(selectResult.getString("firstName"));
customer.setLastName(selectResult.getString("lastName"));
customer.setEmail(selectResult.getString("email"));
customer.setUserName(userName);
customer.setPassword(password);
// establish a user session
session.setAttribute("customer", customer);
session.setAttribute("firstName", customer.getFristName());
url = "/index.jsp";
selectResult.close();
}
else
{
int loginAttempt;
if (session.getAttribute("loginCount") == null)
{
session.setAttribute("loginCount", 0);
loginAttempt = 0;
}
else
{
loginAttempt = (Integer) session.getAttribute("loginCount");
}
//this is 3 attempt counting from 0,1,2
if (loginAttempt >= 2 )
{
long lastAccessedTime = session.getLastAccessedTime();
date = new Date();
long currentTime = date.getTime();
long timeDiff = currentTime - lastAccessedTime;
// 20 minutes in milliseconds
if (timeDiff >= 1200000)
{
//invalidate user session, so they can try again
session.invalidate();
}
else
{
// Error message
session.setAttribute("message","You have exceeded the 3 failed login attempt. Please try loggin in in 20 minutes, or call our customer service center at 1-800 555-1212.");
}
}
else
{
loginAttempt++;
int allowLogin = 3-loginAttempt;
session.setAttribute("message","loginAttempt= "+loginAttempt+". Invalid username or password. You have "+allowLogin+" attempts remaining. Please try again! <br>Not a registered cusomer? Please <a href=\"register.jsp\">register</a>!");
}
session.setAttribute("loginCount",loginAttempt);
url = "/login.jsp";
}
RequestDispatcher dispatcher = getServletContext().getRequestDispatcher(url);
dispatcher.forward(request, response);