Security audit: is your contact form really secure?

Every day, thousands of pieces of personal data pass through contact forms of French companies. Names, emails, phone numbers, sometimes even sensitive information. Yet, 73% of SMBs have never conducted a security audit on their web forms.

The problem? A poorly secured form is an open door to cyberattacks. And the consequences can be disastrous: data theft, GDPR fines, loss of customer trust.

In this article, we guide you step by step to audit the security of your contact forms. You’ll know exactly what to check and how to fix vulnerabilities.

Why audit the security of your contact forms

The concrete risks of an unsecured form

A vulnerable form exposes your company to several threats:

SQL injection

This is one of the most common attacks. A hacker inserts malicious code into your form fields to access your database. Result: they can read, modify, or delete all your information.

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

The attacker injects malicious scripts that execute in your visitors’ browsers. They can then steal user sessions, redirect to fraudulent sites, or distribute malware.

Email identity theft

A form without validation allows sending emails on behalf of your company. Spammers exploit this flaw for large-scale phishing.

Denial of Service (DDoS)

Bots overwhelm your form with requests. Your server saturates, your site becomes inaccessible.

Statistics that make you think

Cybersecurity is no longer optional:

• 43% of cyberattacks target SMBs
• The average cost of a data breach in France: 3.75 million euros
• 60% of SMB victims of a cyberattack close within 6 months
• GDPR fines can reach 4% of annual global revenue

A simple security audit can save you from these catastrophic scenarios.

The 8 key points of a security audit for your forms

1. Check the HTTPS protocol

This is the foundation. Your form must absolutely use an HTTPS connection. This protocol encrypts data between the user’s browser and your server.

How to check:

• Look at the URL of your form page
• A padlock must appear in the address bar
• The address starts with “https://” not “http://”

If your site isn’t on HTTPS, data travels in clear text. Anyone on the same network can intercept it.

2. Control input validation

Every field in your form must be validated server-side. Client-side validation (JavaScript) isn’t enough: it can be easily bypassed.

Points to verify:

• Maximum length: limit the number of characters per field
• Expected format: email, phone, postal code
• Allowed characters: block HTML tags and scripts
• Required fields: verify they’re properly filled

Strict validation blocks the majority of injection attempts.

3. Examine SQL injection protection

SQL injections remain the number one threat. To protect yourself:

• Use prepared statements
• Systematically escape special characters
• Limit database user privileges
• Never store passwords in plain text

Test your form by entering suspicious characters: single quotes, double quotes, script tags. If your site displays an SQL error, you have a problem.

4. Check XSS protection

Cross-Site Scripting requires particular attention:

• Encode all HTML outputs
• Use security headers (Content-Security-Policy)
• Filter HTML tags in user inputs
• Validate URLs if your form accepts them

Try entering <script>alert('test')</script> in a text field. If an alert appears, your form is vulnerable to XSS.

5. Audit anti-spam and anti-bot protection

A form without anti-bot protection is a spam magnet. Check for the presence of:

• Honeypot: invisible field that traps bots
• Rate limiting: limitation on number of submissions per IP
• CAPTCHA or alternative: reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, or simple questions
• Behavioral analysis: detection of submissions that are too fast

Skedox natively integrates these protections. You benefit from advanced anti-spam security without technical configuration, with blocking rates above 95%.

6. Control data storage

How is collected data stored?

Questions to ask yourself:

• Is data encrypted at rest?
• Who has access to the database?
• Are backups secured?
• How long do you retain data?

GDPR requires limiting retention to the strict minimum. Set up an automatic purge policy.

7. Check HTTP security headers

HTTP headers strengthen your form’s security. Check for the presence of:

Header	Function
Content-Security-Policy	Blocks execution of unauthorized scripts
X-Content-Type-Options	Prevents MIME sniffing
X-Frame-Options	Protects against clickjacking
X-XSS-Protection	Activates browser XSS filter
Strict-Transport-Security	Forces HTTPS connection

Free tools like SecurityHeaders.com analyze your headers in seconds.

8. Test error handling

An overly detailed error message can reveal sensitive information to attackers:

• Your database version
• Your table structure
• File paths on the server

Your errors should be generic on the user side: “An error occurred, please try again.” Technical details should be logged server-side only.

How to conduct your security audit step by step

Phase 1: Inventory (30 minutes)

List all your forms:

• Main contact form
• Newsletter forms
• Quote request forms
• Feedback widgets
• Any page collecting personal data

For each form, note:

• The URL where it’s located
• The data collected
• The tool used (WordPress, custom development, SaaS)
• The date of last update

Phase 2: Manual tests (1-2 hours)

For each form, perform these tests:

HTTPS test:

• Secure connection (padlock visible)
• No mixed HTTP/HTTPS content

Injection test:

• Enter ' OR '1'='1 in text fields
• Enter <script>alert(1)</script> in fields
• Test with special characters (< > ” ’ ; —)

Anti-spam test:

• Submit the form multiple times rapidly
• Leave the form empty and submit

Validation test:

• Enter an invalid email
• Exceed the maximum field length
• Test without JavaScript enabled

Phase 3: Results analysis (30 minutes)

Classify vulnerabilities by risk level:

• Critical: SQL injection, XSS, absence of HTTPS
• High: no server-side validation, detailed error messages
• Medium: absence of rate limiting, bypassable captcha
• Low: missing security headers

Phase 4: Correction and validation

Prioritize corrections by risk level. After each correction, redo the corresponding test to validate.

Common mistakes that compromise security

Trusting only JavaScript

Client-side validation improves user experience. But it doesn’t replace server-side validation. An attacker can disable JavaScript in two clicks.

Golden rule: everything from the client is suspect. Always validate server-side.

Neglecting updates

A WordPress form plugin not updated for 2 years? It’s a security flaw waiting to be exploited.

• Regularly update your CMS and plugins
• Remove unused extensions
• Subscribe to security alerts for your tools

Using obsolete solutions

Some form tools date from another era. They don’t integrate modern protections against current threats.

SaaS solutions like Skedox are automatically updated. You benefit from the latest protections without technical intervention. Vulnerabilities are fixed before you even discover them.

Storing unnecessary data

Every piece of stored data is data to protect. Collect only what you need:

• Do you really need the postal address?
• Is the phone number essential?
• Are you keeping messages too long?

Less data = less risk = less GDPR responsibility.

Automating your form security

Conducting a security audit is good. Maintaining that security over time is better.

The advantages of a managed solution

Managing security internally requires:

• Specialized technical skills
• Constant monitoring of new threats
• Time to apply patches
• Regular testing

A specialized solution handles these aspects:

• Automatic security updates
• Evolving anti-spam protection
• Built-in GDPR compliance
• 24/7 monitoring

What Skedox brings to your security

Skedox was designed with security as a priority:

• End-to-end data encryption
• Hosting in Europe (GDPR compliance)
• Native anti-injection protection
• AI-powered anti-spam filtering
• Optimized HTTP security headers
• SSL certificates included

You focus on your business. We take care of security.

Conclusion: security audit, a worthwhile investment

Conducting a security audit on your contact forms isn’t optional. It’s a necessity in a context where cyber threats multiply and GDPR imposes strict responsibilities.

The essential points to remember:

• Check HTTPS on all pages with forms
• Validate all inputs server-side
• Protect against SQL and XSS injections
• Implement robust anti-spam protection
• Limit data collection and retention
• Keep your tools up to date

A secure form means preserved customer trust and a protected company.

Don’t have time to manage security yourself? Test Skedox for free and benefit from secure, compliant, and professional forms in minutes.