What is XSS attack? How to prevent it?
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XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) attack is a type of security vulnerability typically found in web applications where malicious scripts are injected into otherwise benign and trusted websites. These scripts are then executed in the browsers of users who visit the compromised sites. XSS attacks can be used by attackers to steal sensitive information, hijack user sessions, deface websites, or spread malware.
There are three main types of XSS attacks:
Reflected XSS, Stored XSS and DOM-Based XSS
To prevent XSS attacks:
1. Input Validation : Validate and sanitize all user inputs to block malicious scripts.
2. Output Encoding : Encode output to HTML entities to prevent scripts from being interpreted as code by browsers.
3. Content Security Policy (CSP) : Implement CSP to restrict content sources and reduce script execution risks.
4. HTTP Headers : Use security headers (`X-XSS-Protection`, `HttpOnly’ flag on cookies) to prevent script injection and session hijacking.
5. Avoid `eval()’ : Refrain from using `eval()` and similar functions that execute arbitrary strings as code.
6. Regular Audits : Conduct frequent security audits to identify and fix XSS vulnerabilities promptly.
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) is a web security vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into seemingly legitimate websites. These scripts are then executed by the victim’s browser within the context of the trusted website.When someone unsuspectingly sits down, they get a surprise. In XSS, the attacker hides malicious code that activates when a user interacts with the website.
The attack unfolds in three steps:
Preventing XSS Attacks :
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) is a web security vulnerability that allows attackers to compromise user interactions with a vulnerable application. Here’s how it works:
Vulnerability: A web application fails to properly validate and sanitize user input, allowing malicious code (usually JavaScript) to be injected into web pages viewed by other users.
Execution: When other users visit the compromised page, the injected code executes in their browsers, potentially stealing sensitive information or performing malicious actions on their behalf.
Prevention techniques:
Sanitize User Input: Validate and filter any data received from users before processing it.
Use libraries or built-in functions to escape special characters (like , and &) to prevent them from being interpreted as code.
Avoid using eval() or similar functions that execute arbitrary code.
Encode Output:Encode user-generated content before displaying it in web pages.
HTML-encode data using functions like htmlspecialchars() in PHP or similar methods in other languages.This ensures that user input is treated as plain text rather than executable code.
Limit User-Provided Data:Use user input only where necessary. Avoid echoing it directly into JavaScript, HTML, or other contexts.
If possible, use templating engines that automatically escape user input.
Content Security Policy (CSP):Implement a CSP header in your web application.
Specify which sources of content (scripts, styles, images, etc.) are allowed to load.
CSP helps prevent unauthorized execution of scripts by restricting the domains from which resources can be loaded.