What is Cache Poisoning? How Hackers Manipulate Web Caches and How to Avoid It

Web caches enhance browsing speed by storing copies of web pages and resources, but they can be exploited through cache poisoning, where hackers manipulate stored data to serve malicious content. This can happen via host header attacks, HTTP parameter pollution, and Vary header manipulation. Protection measures include proper input validation, using secure caching headers, controlling cache key settings, and implementing HTTPS.