What are the most important HTTP security headers to enable?
Asked on Sep 23, 2025
Answer
Enabling HTTP security headers is crucial for protecting web applications from various attacks. The most important headers include Content Security Policy (CSP), Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS), X-Content-Type-Options, X-Frame-Options, and X-XSS-Protection.
Example Concept: HTTP security headers provide an additional layer of security by instructing the browser on how to behave when handling web content. Key headers include Content-Security-Policy to prevent cross-site scripting, Strict-Transport-Security to enforce HTTPS, X-Content-Type-Options to prevent MIME type sniffing, X-Frame-Options to mitigate clickjacking, and X-XSS-Protection to enable the browser's built-in XSS filter.
Additional Comment:
- Always use HTTPS in conjunction with HSTS to ensure secure connections.
- CSP should be carefully configured to allow only trusted content sources.
- X-Content-Type-Options should be set to "nosniff" to prevent MIME type attacks.
- X-Frame-Options can be set to "DENY" or "SAMEORIGIN" to protect against clickjacking.
✅ Answered with Security best practices.
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