Security: Client-Side Route Protection Vulnerability

[codeCraft-Ritik]

Description:

The ConditionalRoutes component currently restricts access based solely on the presence of a token in localStorage. Because localStorage can be manually edited by any user through the browser's developer tools, someone could "spoof" a login by adding a fake token. While the backend might block data requests, the user would still be able to see the layout of restricted admin or user dashboards.

Solution:
Implement a more robust check that validates the token's authenticity. A common approach is to use a "me" or "validate" query on the initial load to confirm with the server that the token is actually valid before rendering protected content.

Code Implementation:
In client/src/utils/ConditionalRoutes.js, add a check that verifies the user profile with the backend using the token before allowing the route to render. If the server returns an authentication error, clear the local storage and redirect to the login page.

[codeCraft-Ritik]

"Hello! I’ve reviewed the Hotel Booking Web App repository and found three critical areas for improvement. First, the Firebase API keys are hardcoded in the source code; I recommend moving these to environment variables to keep your project secure. Second, I noticed that the login and registration forms don't show a loading state, which can lead to users clicking buttons multiple times—adding a simple loading spinner would greatly improve the user experience. Finally, the route protection is currently easy to bypass locally; adding a server-side token validation check will ensure that only truly authorized users can access the dashboard. I can provide the specific code snippets to fix these if you'd like!"