Cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks are one of the most common types of cyberattacks in the world today. They allow attackers to inject malicious code into a website, which can then be executed by unsuspecting users who visit that site. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what XSS attacks are, how they work, and what you can do to protect yourself against them.
What is Cross-Site Scripting?
Cross-site scripting is a type of attack where an attacker injects malicious code into a web page viewed by other users. The goal is usually to steal sensitive information from those users or to perform some other nefarious activity. There are several different types of XSS attacks:
– Reflected XSS: This type of attack involves injecting malicious code into a URL that’s then reflected back to the user in the web page’s response.
– Stored XSS: With this type of attack, an attacker injects malicious code directly into a website’s database so that it will be served up whenever someone visits the affected page.
– DOM-based XSS: This type of attack involves injecting malicious code directly into the Document Object Model (DOM) used by JavaScript on a webpage.
How Do Cross-Site Scripting Attacks Work?
Cross-site scripting attacks work by exploiting vulnerabilities in websites’ input fields. These could include search boxes, contact forms or any other field where users can enter data. Attackers will often use social engineering tactics such as phishing emails or convincing fake login pages to trick victims into entering their login credentials on these vulnerable sites.
Once an attacker has access to these input fields, they can inject their own custom scripts using HTML tags like