GET v POST Does using a POST request rather than a GET request make any difference fora network attacker that can observe network traffic?

Yes, using a POST request rather than a GET request does make a difference for a network attacker that can observe network traffic. Here's why:

1. Visibility of Data: In a GET request, the data is appended to the URL as query parameters which makes it visible in the browser's address bar, server logs, browser history, and in the network logs. This makes it easier for a network attacker to observe the data. In contrast, a POST request sends the data in the body of the HTTP request which is not visible in the URL or browser history. However, it's important to note that if the network traffic is being observed, the data in a POST request can still be seen unless it's encrypted.

2. Amount of Data: GET requests are limited in the amount of data they can send because the data is sent in the URL which has a length limit. POST requests do not have this limit because the data is sent in the body of the request. This means that a network attacker could potentially gather more data from a POST request than a GET request.

3. Type of Data: GET requests can only send data in text format. POST requests can send data in various formats including binary data. This means that a network attacker could potentially gather more types of data from a POST request than a GET request.

4. HTTP Semantics: According to HTTP semantics, GET requests should be used for safe and idempotent operations, while POST requests should be used for operations that change server state. This means that a network attacker could potentially cause more harm by manipulating POST requests than GET requests.

However, it's important to note that both GET and POST requests are vulnerable to network attacks if the data is not encrypted. Using HTTPS instead of HTTP can help protect against this by encrypting the data in transit.