Implement Secure Session and Token Management

Priority

P0 — Critical

Labels

backend frontend authentication security priority: p0

Description

Mind Block requires secure session management for authenticated users.

The authentication system should support persistent sessions while protecting users from common token-related security issues.

Objective

Implement a secure authentication session strategy.

Requirements

The implementation should support:

• Access tokens.
• Refresh tokens or secure session renewal.
• Token expiration.
• Logout.
• Session invalidation.
• Multiple device sessions where supported.
• Session rotation where appropriate.

Security Requirements

• Sensitive tokens must not be exposed unnecessarily.
• Tokens should have expiration times.
• Refresh tokens should be securely stored.
• Logout should invalidate active sessions where supported.
• Expired tokens should be rejected.
• Invalid tokens should be rejected.
• Token reuse attacks should be considered.

API Requirements

Provide endpoints or equivalent functionality for:

POST /auth/login
POST /auth/logout
POST /auth/refresh
GET /auth/me

Frontend Requirements

The frontend should:

• Restore authenticated sessions.
• Handle expired sessions.
• Redirect users appropriately.
• Avoid exposing authentication tokens in logs.
• Clear local authentication state on logout.

Acceptance Criteria

• Authenticated sessions are created securely.
• Expired sessions are rejected.
• Token/session renewal works.
• Logout invalidates the session.
• /auth/me returns the current user.
• Invalid tokens are rejected.
• Frontend handles expired sessions gracefully.
• Authentication tests exist.

Dependencies

Depends on:

Email and Password Authentication