Mastering Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): Risks, Detection, and Prevention

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) is a prevalent web security vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.

It exploits the trust a user has for a particular site, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive information, session hijacking, and other malicious activities.

Understanding the intricacies of XSS attacks and adopting effective countermeasures is crucial for developers and security professionals alike.

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Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) is a web security vulnerability that occurs when a web application fails to properly sanitize input from users. This oversight allows attackers to embed malicious scripts into content that other users will consume. Unlike other web attacks that directly target the vulnerability in the website or server, XSS exploits the users of the web application, making it a unique and dangerous security concern.

XSS vulnerabilities can be classified into three primary types, each with its unique attack vector:

1. Reflected XSS

These attacks occur when malicious scripts are reflected off the web server, such as in an error message, search result, or any other response that includes some or all of the input sent to the server as part of the request. Reflected attacks are delivered to victims via another route, such as in an email or a third-party site.

Example 1: Error Message Manipulation