Input validation and representation problems ares caused by metacharacters, alternate encodings and numeric representations. Security problems result from trusting input. The issues include: "Buffer Overflows," "Cross-Site Scripting" attacks, "SQL Injection," and many others.
eid, from an HTTP request and displays it to the user.
String queryString = Window.Location.getQueryString();
int pos = queryString.indexOf("eid=")+4;
HTML output = new HTML();
output.setHTML(queryString.substring(pos, queryString.length()));
eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.eid, from a URL and displays it to the user.Example 2: Consider the HTML form:
<SCRIPT>
var pos=document.URL.indexOf("eid=")+4;
document.write(document.URL.substring(pos,document.URL.length));
</SCRIPT>
<div id="myDiv">
Employee ID: <input type="text" id="eid"><br>
...
<button>Show results</button>
</div>
<div id="resultsDiv">
...
</div>
$(document).ready(function(){
$("#myDiv").on("click", "button", function(){
var eid = $("#eid").val();
$("resultsDiv").append(eid);
...
});
});
eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code will be executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.
let element = JSON.parse(getUntrustedInput());
ReactDOM.render(<App>
{element}
</App>);
Example 3, if an attacker can control the entire JSON object retrieved from getUntrustedInput(), they may be able to make React render element as a component, and therefore can pass an object with dangerouslySetInnerHTML with their own controlled value, a typical cross-site scripting attack.
<attribute name="href" onInvalid="filterTag">
<regexp-list>
<regexp name="onsiteURL"/>
<regexp name="offsiteURL"/>
</regexp-list>
</attribute>
Handlebars.registerHelper('bolden', function (aString) {
return new Handlebars.SafeString("" + aString + "")
})
// ...
let template = Handlebars.compile('{{bolden someArgument}}')
myElem.innerHTML = template({someArgument: userInput})
bolden helper is passed the user-controlled data userInput. Although the use of double curly braces ({{ and }}) typically means that the output will be HTML-encoded, in this scenario the bolden helper overrides any validation by passing the input into new Handlebars.SafeString(), leading to the input being rendered as regular HTML. When the HTML returns from template() it is passed into the innerHTML property leading to a DOM-based XSS.eid, from an HTTP request and displays it to the user.
String eid = Request["eid"];
...
EmployeeID.Text = eid;
EmployeeID is a server-side ASP.NET control defined as follows:
<form runat="server">
...
<asp:Label id="EmployeeID" runat="server"/>
...
</form>
eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.
...
string name = "";
using (SqlConnection conn = new SqlConnection(_ConnectionString))
{
string eid = Request["eid"];
SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand("SELECT * FROM emp WHERE id = @id", conn);
cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@id", eid);
conn.Open();
SqlDataReader objReader = cmd.ExecuteReader();
while (objReader.Read())
{
name = objReader["name"];
}
objReader.Close();
}
...
EmployeeName.Text = name;
EmployeeName is a server-side ASP.NET control defined as follows:
<form runat="server">
...
<asp:Label id="EmployeeName" runat="server"/>
...
</form>
Example 2, this code functions correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.Example 1, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 2, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.user, from an HTTP request and displays it to the user.
func someHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request){
r.parseForm()
user := r.FormValue("user")
...
fmt.Fprintln(w, "Username is: ", user)
}
user contains only standard alphanumeric text. If user has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code will be executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.
func someHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request){
...
row := db.QueryRow("SELECT name FROM users WHERE id =" + userid)
err := row.Scan(&name)
...
fmt.Fprintln(w, "Username is: ", name)
}
Example 1, this code functions correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker can execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack affects multiple users. XSS began in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.Example 1, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 2, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker can perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.
...
WebView webview = (WebView) findViewById(R.id.webview);
webview.getSettings().setJavaScriptEnabled(true);
String url = this.getIntent().getExtras().getString("url");
webview.loadUrl(url);
...
url starts with javascript:, JavaScript code that follows executes within the context of the web page inside WebView.eid, from an HTTP request and displays it to the user.
<% String eid = request.getParameter("eid"); %>
...
Employee ID: <%= eid %>
eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.
<%...
Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
ResultSet rs = stmt.executeQuery("select * from emp where id="+eid);
if (rs != null) {
rs.next();
String name = rs.getString("name");
}
%>
Employee Name: <%= name %>
Example 2, this code functions correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.Example 1, a source outside the application stores dangerous data in a database or other data store, and the dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application as trusted data and included in dynamic content.Example 2, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 3, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.
...
val webview = findViewById<View>(R.id.webview) as WebView
webview.settings.javaScriptEnabled = true
val url = this.intent.extras!!.getString("url")
webview.loadUrl(url)
...
url starts with javascript:, JavaScript code that follows executes within the context of the web page inside WebView.eid, from an HTTP servlet request, then displays the value back to the user in the servlet's response.
val eid: String = request.getParameter("eid")
...
val out: ServletOutputStream = response.getOutputStream()
out.print("Employee ID: $eid")
...
out.close()
...
eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.
val stmt: Statement = conn.createStatement()
val rs: ResultSet = stmt.executeQuery("select * from emp where id=$eid")
rs.next()
val name: String = rs.getString("name")
...
val out: ServletOutputStream = response.getOutputStream()
out.print("Employee Name: $name")
...
out.close()
...
Example 2, this code functions correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.Example 1, a source outside the application stores dangerous data in a database or other data store, and the dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application as trusted data and included in dynamic content.Example 2, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 3, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.
...
@property (strong, nonatomic) NSString *webContentFromURL;
...
- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application openURL:(NSURL *)url sourceApplication:(NSString *)sourceApplication annotation:(id)annotation {
...
[self setWebContentFromURL:[url host]];
...
...
...
@property (strong, nonatomic) WKWebView *webView;
...
AppDelegate *appDelegate = (AppDelegate *)[[UIApplication sharedApplication] delegate];
...
[_webView loadHTMLString:appDelegate.webContentFromURL] baseURL:nil];
...
...
@property (strong, nonatomic) WKWebView *webView;
@property (strong, nonatomic) UITextField *inputTextField;
...
[_webView loadHTMLString:_inputTextField.text baseURL:nil];
...
inputTextField contains only standard alphanumeric text. If the text within inputTextField includes metacharacters or source code, then the input may be executed as code by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.
...
@property (strong, nonatomic) WKWebView *webView;
...
NSFetchRequest *fetchRequest = [[NSFetchRequest alloc] init];
NSEntityDescription *entity = [NSEntityDescription entityForName:@"Employee" inManagedObjectContext:context];
[fetchRequest setEntity:entity];
NSArray *fetchedObjects = [context executeFetchRequest:fetchRequest error:&error];
for (NSManagedObject *info in fetchedObjects) {
NSString msg = @"Hello, " + [info valueForKey:@"name"];
[_webView loadHTMLString:msg baseURL:nil]
...
}
...
Example 2, this code functions correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.Example 1, a source outside the target application makes a URL request using the target application's custom URL scheme, and unvalidated data from the URL request subsequently read back into the application as trusted data and included in dynamic content.Example 2, data is read directly from a user-controllable UI component and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 3, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.
...
func application(app: UIApplication, openURL url: NSURL, options: [String : AnyObject]) -> Bool {
...
let name = getQueryStringParameter(url.absoluteString, "name")
let html = "Hi \(name)"
let webView = WKWebView()
webView.loadHTMLString(html, baseURL:nil)
...
}
func getQueryStringParameter(url: String?, param: String) -> String? {
if let url = url, urlComponents = NSURLComponents(string: url), queryItems = (urlComponents.queryItems as? [NSURLQueryItem]) {
return queryItems.filter({ (item) in item.name == param }).first?.value!
}
return nil
}
...
loadHTMLString: is user-controllable and JavaScript is enabled by default within a WKWebView, the user can write arbitrary content (including executable scripts) to the WKWebView via requests that use app's custom URL scheme.
...
let webView : WKWebView
let inputTextField : UITextField
webView.loadHTMLString(inputTextField.text, baseURL:nil)
...
inputTextField contains only standard alphanumeric text. If the text within inputTextField includes metacharacters or source code, then the input may be executed as code by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.
let fetchRequest = NSFetchRequest()
let entity = NSEntityDescription.entityForName("Employee", inManagedObjectContext: managedContext)
fetchRequest.entity = entity
do {
let results = try managedContext.executeFetchRequest(fetchRequest)
let result : NSManagedObject = results.first!
let name : String = result.valueForKey("name")
let msg : String = "Hello, \(name)"
let webView : UIWebView = UIWebView()
webView.loadHTMLString(msg, baseURL:nil)
} catch let error as NSError {
print("Error \(error)")
}
Example 2, this code functions correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.Example 1, a source outside the target application makes a URL request using the target application's custom URL scheme, and unvalidated data from the URL request subsequently read back into the application as trusted data and included in dynamic content.Example 2, data is read directly from a user-controllable UI component and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 3, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.
<script runat="server">
...
var retrieveOperation = TableOperation.Retrieve<EmployeeInfo>(partitionKey, rowKey);
var retrievedResult = employeeTable.Execute(retrieveOperation);
var employeeInfo = retrievedResult.Result as EmployeeInfo;
string name = employeeInfo.Name
...
EmployeeName.Text = name;
</script>
EmployeeName is a form control defined as follows:Example 2: The following ASP.NET code segment is functionally equivalent to
<form runat="server">
...
<asp:Label id="EmployeeName" runat="server">
...
</form>
Example 1, but implements all of the form elements programmatically.
protected System.Web.UI.WebControls.Label EmployeeName;
...
var retrieveOperation = TableOperation.Retrieve<EmployeeInfo>(partitionKey, rowKey);
var retrievedResult = employeeTable.Execute(retrieveOperation);
var employeeInfo = retrievedResult.Result as EmployeeInfo;
string name = employeeInfo.Name
...
EmployeeName.Text = name;
Name are well-behaved, but they do nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. This code can appear less dangerous because the value of Name is read from a cloud-provided storage service, whose contents are apparently managed by the distributed application. However, if the value of Name originates from user-supplied data, then the cloud-provided storage service can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Inter-Component Communication Cloud XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.
<script runat="server">
...
EmployeeID.Text = Login.Text;
...
</script>
Login and EmployeeID are form controls defined as follows:Example 4: The following ASP.NET code segment shows the programmatic way to implement
<form runat="server">
<asp:TextBox runat="server" id="Login"/>
...
<asp:Label runat="server" id="EmployeeID"/>
</form>
Example 3.
protected System.Web.UI.WebControls.TextBox Login;
protected System.Web.UI.WebControls.Label EmployeeID;
...
EmployeeID.Text = Login.Text;
Example 1 and Example 2, these examples operate correctly if Login contains only standard alphanumeric text. If Login has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code will be executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.Example 1 and Example 2, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Inter-Component Communication Cloud XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.Example 3 and Example 4, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.eid, from an HTTP request and displays it to the user.
req = self.request() # fetch the request object
eid = req.field('eid',None) # tainted request message
...
self.writeln("Employee ID:" + eid)
eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.
...
cursor.execute("select * from emp where id="+eid)
row = cursor.fetchone()
self.writeln('Employee name: ' + row["emp"]')
...
Example 1, this code functions correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.Example 1, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 2, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.
...
DATA: BEGIN OF itab_employees,
eid TYPE employees-itm,
name TYPE employees-name,
END OF itab_employees,
itab LIKE TABLE OF itab_employees.
...
itab_employees-eid = '...'.
APPEND itab_employees TO itab.
SELECT *
FROM employees
INTO CORRESPONDING FIELDS OF TABLE itab_employees
FOR ALL ENTRIES IN itab
WHERE eid = itab-eid.
ENDSELECT.
...
response->append_cdata( 'Employee Name: ').
response->append_cdata( itab_employees-name ).
...
name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. This code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.eid, from an HTTP request and displays it to the user.
...
eid = request->get_form_field( 'eid' ).
...
response->append_cdata( 'Employee ID: ').
response->append_cdata( eid ).
...
Example 1, this code operates correctly if eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.Example 1, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.Example 2, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.
stmt.sqlConnection = conn;
stmt.text = "select * from emp where id="+eid;
stmt.execute();
var rs:SQLResult = stmt.getResult();
if (null != rs) {
var name:String = String(rs.data[0]);
var display:TextField = new TextField();
display.htmlText = "Employee Name: " + name;
}
name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. This code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.eid, from an HTTP request and displays it to the user.
var params:Object = LoaderInfo(this.root.loaderInfo).parameters;
var eid:String = String(params["eid"]);
...
var display:TextField = new TextField();
display.htmlText = "Employee ID: " + eid;
...
Example 1, this code operates correctly if eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.Example 1, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.Example 2, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.
...
variable = Database.query('SELECT Name FROM Contact WHERE id = ID');
...
<div onclick="this.innerHTML='Hello {!variable}'">Click me!</div>
name are well defined like just alphanumeric characters, but does nothing to check for malicious data. Even read from a database, the value should be properly validated because the content of the database can be originated from user-supplied data. This way, an attacker can have malicious commands executed in the user's web browser without the need to interact with the victim like in Reflected XSS. This type of attack, known as Stored XSS (or Persistent), can be very hard to detect since the data is indirectly provided to the vulnerable function and also have a higher impact due to the possibility to affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.username, and displays it to the user.
<script>
document.write('{!$CurrentPage.parameters.username}')
</script>
username contains metacharacters or source code, it will be executed by the web browser.Example 1, the database or other data store can provide dangerous data to the application that will be included in dynamic content. From the attacker's perspective, the best place to store malicious content is an area accessible to all users specially those with elevated privileges, who are more likely to handle sensitive information or perform critical operations.Example 2, data is read from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS occurs when an attacker can have dangerous content delivered to a vulnerable web application and then reflected back to the user and execute by his browser. The most common mechanism to deliver malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to the victim. URLs crafted this way are the core of many phishing schemes, where the attacker lures the victim to visit the URL. After the site reflects the content back to the user, it is executed and can perform several actions like forward private sensitive information, execute unauthorized operations on the victim computer etc.
<script runat="server">
...
string query = "select * from emp where id=" + eid;
sda = new SqlDataAdapter(query, conn);
DataTable dt = new DataTable();
sda.Fill(dt);
string name = dt.Rows[0]["Name"];
...
EmployeeName.Text = name;
</script>
EmployeeName is a form control defined as follows:Example 2: The following ASP.NET code segment is functionally equivalent to
<form runat="server">
...
<asp:Label id="EmployeeName" runat="server">
...
</form>
Example 1, but implements all of the form elements programmatically.
protected System.Web.UI.WebControls.Label EmployeeName;
...
string query = "select * from emp where id=" + eid;
sda = new SqlDataAdapter(query, conn);
DataTable dt = new DataTable();
sda.Fill(dt);
string name = dt.Rows[0]["Name"];
...
EmployeeName.Text = name;
name are well-behaved, but they do nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. This code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.
<script runat="server">
...
EmployeeID.Text = Login.Text;
...
</script>
Login and EmployeeID are form controls defined as follows:Example 4: The following ASP.NET code segment shows the programmatic way to implement
<form runat="server">
<asp:TextBox runat="server" id="Login"/>
...
<asp:Label runat="server" id="EmployeeID"/>
</form>
Example 3.
protected System.Web.UI.WebControls.TextBox Login;
protected System.Web.UI.WebControls.Label EmployeeID;
...
EmployeeID.Text = Login.Text;
Example 1 and Example 2, these examples operate correctly if Login contains only standard alphanumeric text. If Login has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code will be executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.Example 1 and Example 2, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.Example 3 and Example 4, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.
...
EXEC SQL
SELECT NAME
INTO :ENAME
FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE ID = :EID
END-EXEC.
EXEC CICS
WEB SEND
FROM(ENAME)
...
END-EXEC.
...
ENAME are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of ENAME is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of ENAME originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Stored XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.EID, from an HTML form and displays it to the user.
...
EXEC CICS
WEB READ
FORMFIELD(ID)
VALUE(EID)
...
END-EXEC.
EXEC CICS
WEB SEND
FROM(EID)
...
END-EXEC.
...
Example 1, this code operates correctly if EID contains only standard alphanumeric text. If EID has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code will be executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.Example 1, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Stored XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker might perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.Example 2, data is read directly from the HTML Form and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.
<cfquery name="matchingEmployees" datasource="cfsnippets">
SELECT name
FROM Employees
WHERE eid = '#Form.eid#'
</cfquery>
<cfoutput>
Employee Name: #name#
</cfoutput>
name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. This code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.eid, from a web form and displays it to the user.
<cfoutput>
Employee ID: #Form.eid#
</cfoutput>
Example 1, this code operates correctly if Form.eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If Form.eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code will be executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.Example 1, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.Example 2, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.user, from an HTTP request and displays it to the user.
func someHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request){
r.parseForm()
user := r.FormValue("user")
...
fmt.Fprintln(w, "Username is: ", user)
}
user contains only standard alphanumeric text. If user has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code will be executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.
func someHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request){
...
row := db.QueryRow("SELECT name FROM users WHERE id =" + userid)
err := row.Scan(&name)
...
fmt.Fprintln(w, "Username is: ", name)
}
Example 1, this code functions correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker can execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack affects multiple users. XSS began in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.Example 1, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 2, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker can perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.
<%...
Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
ResultSet rs = stmt.executeQuery("select * from emp where id="+eid);
if (rs != null) {
rs.next();
String name = rs.getString("name");
}
%>
Employee Name: <%= name %>
name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. This code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.eid, from an HTTP request and displays it to the user.
<% String eid = request.getParameter("eid"); %>
...
Employee ID: <%= eid %>
Example 1, this code operates correctly if eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.
...
WebView webview = (WebView) findViewById(R.id.webview);
webview.getSettings().setJavaScriptEnabled(true);
String url = this.getIntent().getExtras().getString("url");
webview.loadUrl(url);
...
url starts with javascript:, JavaScript code that follows executes within the context of the web page inside WebView.Example 1, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.Example 2, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 3, a source outside the application stores dangerous data in a database or other data store, and the dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application as trusted data and included in dynamic content.
var http = require('http');
...
function listener(request, response){
connection.query('SELECT * FROM emp WHERE eid="' + eid + '"', function(err, rows){
if (!err && rows.length > 0){
response.write('<p>Welcome, ' + rows[0].name + '!</p>');
}
...
});
...
}
...
http.createServer(listener).listen(8080);
name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. This code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.eid, from an HTTP request and displays it to the user.
var http = require('http');
var url = require('url');
...
function listener(request, response){
var eid = url.parse(request.url, true)['query']['eid'];
if (eid !== undefined){
response.write('<p>Welcome, ' + eid + '!</p>');
}
...
}
...
http.createServer(listener).listen(8080);
Example 1, this code operates correctly if eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.Example 1, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.Example 2, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.
...
val stmt: Statement = conn.createStatement()
val rs: ResultSet = stmt.executeQuery("select * from emp where id=$eid")
rs.next()
val name: String = rs.getString("name")
...
val out: ServletOutputStream = response.getOutputStream()
out.print("Employee Name: $name")
...
out.close()
...
name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. This code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.eid, from an HTTP servlet request, then displays the value back to the user in the servlet's response.
val eid: String = request.getParameter("eid")
...
val out: ServletOutputStream = response.getOutputStream()
out.print("Employee ID: $eid")
...
out.close()
...
Example 1, this code operates correctly if eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.
...
val webview = findViewById<View>(R.id.webview) as WebView
webview.settings.javaScriptEnabled = true
val url = this.intent.extras!!.getString("url")
webview.loadUrl(url)
...
url starts with javascript:, JavaScript code that follows executes within the context of the web page inside WebView.Example 1, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.Example 2, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 3, a source outside the application stores dangerous data in a database or other data store, and the dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application as trusted data and included in dynamic content.name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.myapp://input_to_the_application). The untrusted data in the URL is then used to render HTML output in a UIWebView component.
...
- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application handleOpenURL:(NSURL *)url {
UIWebView *webView;
NSString *partAfterSlashSlash = [[url host] stringByReplacingPercentEscapesUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding];
webView = [[UIWebView alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectMake(0.0,0.0,360.0, 480.0)];
[webView loadHTMLString:partAfterSlashSlash baseURL:nil]
...
Example 1, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.Example 2, data is read directly from a custom URL scheme and reflected back in the content of a UIWebView response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable iOS application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a custom scheme URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable app. After the app reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.
<?php...
$con = mysql_connect($server,$user,$password);
...
$result = mysql_query("select * from emp where id="+eid);
$row = mysql_fetch_array($result)
echo 'Employee name: ', mysql_result($row,0,'name');
...
?>
name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. This code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.eid, from an HTTP request and displays it to the user.
<?php
$eid = $_GET['eid'];
...
?>
...
<?php
echo "Employee ID: $eid";
?>
Example 1, this code operates correctly if eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.Example 1, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.Example 2, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.
...
SELECT ename INTO name FROM emp WHERE id = eid;
HTP.htmlOpen;
HTP.headOpen;
HTP.title ('Employee Information');
HTP.headClose;
HTP.bodyOpen;
HTP.br;
HTP.print('Employee Name: ' || name || '');
HTP.br;
HTP.bodyClose;
HTP.htmlClose;
...
name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. This code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.eid, from an HTTP request and displays it to the user.
...
-- Assume QUERY_STRING looks like EID=EmployeeID
eid := SUBSTR(OWA_UTIL.get_cgi_env('QUERY_STRING'), 5);
HTP.htmlOpen;
HTP.headOpen;
HTP.title ('Employee Information');
HTP.headClose;
HTP.bodyOpen;
HTP.br;
HTP.print('Employee ID: ' || eid || '');
HTP.br;
HTP.bodyClose;
HTP.htmlClose;
...
Example 1, this code operates correctly if eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.Example 1, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.Example 2, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.eid, from an HTTP request and displays it to the user.
req = self.request() # fetch the request object
eid = req.field('eid',None) # tainted request message
...
self.writeln("Employee ID:" + eid)
eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.
...
cursor.execute("select * from emp where id="+eid)
row = cursor.fetchone()
self.writeln('Employee name: ' + row["emp"]')
...
Example 1, this code functions correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.Example 1, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 2, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.
...
rs = conn.exec_params("select * from emp where id=?", eid)
...
Rack::Response.new.finish do |res|
...
rs.each do |row|
res.write("Employee name: #{escape(row['name'])}")
...
end
end
...
name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.eid, from an HTTP request and displays it to the user.
eid = req.params['eid'] #gets request parameter 'eid'
Rack::Response.new.finish do |res|
...
res.write("Employee ID: #{eid}")
end
Example 1, the code in this example operates correctly if eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code will be executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.Rack::Request#params() as in Example 2, this sees both GET and POST parameters, so may be vulnerable to various types of attacks other than just having the malicious code appended to the URL.Example 1, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.Example 2, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.eid, from a database query and displays it to the user.
def getEmployee = Action { implicit request =>
val employee = getEmployeeFromDB()
val eid = employee.id
if (employee == Null) {
val html = Html(s"Employee ID ${eid} not found")
Ok(html) as HTML
}
...
}
name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.
...
let webView : WKWebView
let inputTextField : UITextField
webView.loadHTMLString(inputTextField.text, baseURL:nil)
...
inputTextField contains only standard alphanumeric text. If the text within inputTextField includes metacharacters or source code, then the input may be executed as code by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.myapp://input_to_the_application). The untrusted data in the URL is then used to render HTML output in a UIWebView component.
...
func application(app: UIApplication, openURL url: NSURL, options: [String : AnyObject]) -> Bool {
...
let name = getQueryStringParameter(url.absoluteString, "name")
let html = "Hi \(name)"
let webView = UIWebView()
webView.loadHTMLString(html, baseURL:nil)
...
}
func getQueryStringParameter(url: String?, param: String) -> String? {
if let url = url, urlComponents = NSURLComponents(string: url), queryItems = (urlComponents.queryItems as? [NSURLQueryItem]) {
return queryItems.filter({ (item) in item.name == param }).first?.value!
}
return nil
}
...
Example 1, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.Example 2, data is read directly from a user-controllable UI component and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 3, a source outside the target application makes a URL request using the target application's custom URL scheme, and unvalidated data from the URL request subsequently read back into the application as trusted data and included in dynamic content.
...
eid = Request("eid")
strSQL = "Select * from emp where id=" & eid
objADORecordSet.Open strSQL, strConnect, adOpenDynamic, adLockOptimistic, adCmdText
while not objRec.EOF
Response.Write "Employee Name:" & objADORecordSet("name")
objADORecordSet.MoveNext
Wend
...
name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. This code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.eid, from an HTTP request and displays it to the user.
...
eid = Request("eid")
Response.Write "Employee ID:" & eid & "<br/>"
..
Example 1, this code operates correctly if eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.Example 1, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.Example 2, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.cl_http_utility=>escape_html, will prevent some, but not all cross-site scripting attacks. Depending on the context in which the data appear, characters beyond the basic <, >, &, and " that are HTML-encoded and those beyond <, >, &, ", and ' that are XML-encoded may take on meta-meaning. Relying on such encoding function modules is equivalent to using a weak deny list to prevent cross-site scripting and might allow an attacker to inject malicious code that will be executed in the browser. Because accurately identifying the context in which the data appear statically is not always possible, the Fortify Secure Coding Rulepacks report cross-site scripting findings even when encoding is applied and presents them as Cross-Site Scripting: Poor Validation issues.eid, from an HTTP request, HTML-encodes it, and displays it to the user.
...
eid = request->get_form_field( 'eid' ).
...
CALL METHOD cl_http_utility=>escape_html
EXPORTING
UNESCAPED = eid
KEEP_NUM_CHAR_REF = '-'
RECEIVING
ESCAPED = e_eid.
...
response->append_cdata( 'Employee ID: ').
response->append_cdata( e_eid ).
...
eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.
...
DATA: BEGIN OF itab_employees,
eid TYPE employees-itm,
name TYPE employees-name,
END OF itab_employees,
itab LIKE TABLE OF itab_employees.
...
itab_employees-eid = '...'.
APPEND itab_employees TO itab.
SELECT *
FROM employees
INTO CORRESPONDING FIELDS OF TABLE itab_employees
FOR ALL ENTRIES IN itab
WHERE eid = itab-eid.
ENDSELECT.
...
CALL METHOD cl_http_utility=>escape_html
EXPORTING
UNESCAPED = itab_employees-name
KEEP_NUM_CHAR_REF = '-'
RECEIVING
ESCAPED = e_name.
...
response->append_cdata( 'Employee Name: ').
response->append_cdata( e_name ).
...
Example 1, this code functions correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.Example 1, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 2, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.eid, from an HTTP request, HTML-encodes it, and displays it to the user.
var params:Object = LoaderInfo(this.root.loaderInfo).parameters;
var eid:String = String(params["eid"]);
...
var display:TextField = new TextField();
display.htmlText = "Employee ID: " + escape(eid);
...
eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.
stmt.sqlConnection = conn;
stmt.text = "select * from emp where id="+eid;
stmt.execute();
var rs:SQLResult = stmt.getResult();
if (null != rs) {
var name:String = String(rs.data[0]);
var display:TextField = new TextField();
display.htmlText = "Employee Name: " + escape(name);
}
Example 1, this code functions correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.Example 1, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 2, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.
...
variable = Database.query('SELECT Name FROM Contact WHERE id = ID');
...
<div onclick="this.innerHTML='Hello {!HTMLENCODE(variable)}'">Click me!</div>
HTMLENCODE, does not properly validate the data provided by the database and is vulnerable to XSS. This happens because the variable content is parsed by different mechanisms (HTML and Javascript parsers), therfore neeeds to be encoded two times. This way, an attacker can have malicious commands executed in the user's web browser without the need to interact with the victim like in Reflected XSS. This type of attack, known as Stored XSS (or Persistent), can be very hard to detect since the data is indirectly provided to the vulnerable function and also have a higher impact due to the possibility to affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.username, and displays it to the user.
<script>
document.write('{!HTMLENCODE($CurrentPage.parameters.username)}')
</script>
username contains metacharacters or source code, it will be executed by the web browser. Also in this example the usage of HTMLENCODE is not enough to prevent the XSS attack since the variable is processed by the Javascript parser.Example 1, the database or other data store can provide dangerous data to the application that will be included in dynamic content. From the attacker's perspective, the best place to store malicious content is an area accessible to all users specially those with elevated privileges, who are more likely to handle sensitive information or perform critical operations.Example 2, data is read from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS occurs when an attacker can have dangerous content delivered to a vulnerable web application and then reflected back to the user and execute by his browser. The most common mechanism to deliver malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to the victim. URLs crafted this way are the core of many phishing schemes, where the attacker lures the victim to visit the URL. After the site reflects the content back to the user, it is executed and can perform several actions like forward private sensitive information, execute unauthorized operations on the victim computer etc.
<script runat="server">
...
EmployeeID.Text = Server.HtmlEncode(Login.Text);
...
</script>
Login and EmployeeID are form controls defined as follows:Example 2: The following ASP.NET code segment implements the same functionality as in
<form runat="server">
<asp:TextBox runat="server" id="Login"/>
...
<asp:Label runat="server" id="EmployeeID"/>
</form>
Example 1, albeit programmatically.
protected System.Web.UI.WebControls.TextBox Login;
protected System.Web.UI.WebControls.Label EmployeeID;
...
EmployeeID.Text = Server.HtmlEncode(Login.Text);
Login contains only standard alphanumeric text. If Login has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code will be executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.
<script runat="server">
...
string query = "select * from emp where id=" + eid;
sda = new SqlDataAdapter(query, conn);
DataTable dt = new DataTable();
sda.Fill(dt);
string name = dt.Rows[0]["Name"];
...
EmployeeName.Text = Server.HtmlEncode(name);
</script>
EmployeeName is a form control defined as follows:Example 4: Likewise, the following ASP.NET code segment is functionally equivalent to
<form runat="server">
...
<asp:Label id="EmployeeName" runat="server">
...
</form>
Example 3, but implements all of the form elements programmatically.
protected System.Web.UI.WebControls.Label EmployeeName;
...
string query = "select * from emp where id=" + eid;
sda = new SqlDataAdapter(query, conn);
DataTable dt = new DataTable();
sda.Fill(dt);
string name = dt.Rows[0]["Name"];
...
EmployeeName.Text = Server.HtmlEncode(name);
Example 1 and Example 2, these code segments perform correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but they do nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, these code examples can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.Example 1 and Example 2, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 3 and Example 4, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.text parameter, from an HTTP request, HTML-encodes it, and displays it in an alert box in between script tags.
"<script>alert('<CFOUTPUT>HTMLCodeFormat(#Form.text#)</CFOUTPUT>')</script>";
text contains only standard alphanumeric text. If text has a single quote, a round bracket and a semicolon, it ends the alert textbox thereafter the code will be executed.Example 1, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.user, from an HTTP request and displays it to the user.
func someHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request){
r.parseForm()
user := r.FormValue("user")
...
fmt.Fprintln(w, "Username is: ", html.EscapeString(user))
}
user contains only standard alphanumeric text. If user has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code will be executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.
func someHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request){
...
row := db.QueryRow("SELECT name FROM users WHERE id =" + userid)
err := row.Scan(&name)
...
fmt.Fprintln(w, "Username is: ", html.EscapeString(name))
}
Example 1, this code functions correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker can execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack affects multiple users. XSS began in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.Example 1, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 2, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker can perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.<c:out/> tag with the escapeXml="true" attribute (the default behavior), prevents some, but not all cross-site scripting attacks. Depending on the context in which the data appear, characters beyond the basic <, >, &, and " that are HTML-encoded and those beyond <, >, &, ", and ' that are XML-encoded might take on meta-meaning. Relying on such encoding constructs is equivalent to using a weak deny list to prevent cross-site scripting and might allow an attacker to inject malicious code that will be executed in the browser. Because accurately identifying the context in which the data appear statically is not always possible, Fortify Static Code Analyzer reports cross-site scripting findings even when encoding is applied and presents them as Cross-Site Scripting: Poor Validation issues.eid, from an HTTP request and displays it to the user via the <c:out/> tag.
Employee ID: <c:out value="${param.eid}"/>
eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.<c:out/> tag.
<%...
Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
ResultSet rs = stmt.executeQuery("select * from emp where id="+eid);
if (rs != null) {
rs.next();
String name = rs.getString("name");
}
%>
Employee Name: <c:out value="${name}"/>
Example 1, this code functions correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.
...
WebView webview = (WebView) findViewById(R.id.webview);
webview.getSettings().setJavaScriptEnabled(true);
String url = this.getIntent().getExtras().getString("url");
webview.loadUrl(URLEncoder.encode(url));
...
url starts with javascript:, JavaScript code that follows executes within the context of the web page inside WebView.Example 1, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 2, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.Example 3, a source outside the application stores dangerous data in a database or other data store, and the dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application as trusted data and included in dynamic content.eid, from an HTTP request, escapes it, and displays it to the user.
<SCRIPT>
var pos=document.URL.indexOf("eid=")+4;
document.write(escape(document.URL.substring(pos,document.URL.length)));
</SCRIPT>
eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.<c:out/> tag with the escapeXml="true" attribute (the default behavior), prevents some, but not all cross-site scripting attacks. Depending on the context in which the data appear, characters beyond the basic <, >, &, and " that are HTML-encoded and those beyond <, >, &, ", and ' that are XML-encoded might take on meta-meaning. Relying on such encoding constructs is equivalent to using a weak deny list to prevent cross-site scripting and might allow an attacker to inject malicious code that will be executed in the browser. Because accurately identifying the context in which the data appear statically is not always possible, Fortify Static Code Analyzer reports cross-site scripting findings even when encoding is applied and presents them as Cross-Site Scripting: Poor Validation issues.eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.Example 1, this code functions correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.
...
val webview = findViewById<View>(R.id.webview) as WebView
webview.settings.javaScriptEnabled = true
val url = this.intent.extras!!.getString("url")
webview.loadUrl(URLEncoder.encode(url))
...
url starts with javascript:, JavaScript code that follows executes within the context of the web page inside WebView.Example 1, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 2, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.Example 3, a source outside the application stores dangerous data in a database or other data store, and the dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application as trusted data and included in dynamic content.myapp://input_to_the_application). The untrusted data in the URL is then used to render HTML output in a UIWebView component.
...
- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application handleOpenURL:(NSURL *)url {
...
UIWebView *webView;
NSString *partAfterSlashSlash = [[url host] stringByReplacingPercentEscapesUsingEncoding:NSUTF8StringEncoding];
NSString *htmlPage = [NSString stringWithFormat: @"%@/%@/%@", @"...<input type=text onclick=\"callFunction('",
[DefaultEncoder encodeForHTML:partAfterSlashSlash],
@"')\" />"];
webView = [[UIWebView alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectMake(0.0,0.0,360.0, 480.0)];
[webView loadHTMLString:htmlPage baseURL:nil];
...
Example 1, this code functions correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database and is HTML encoded. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. The attacker supplied exploit could bypass encoded characters or place input in a context which is not effected by HTML encoding. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.Example 1, data is read directly from a custom URL scheme and reflected back in the content of a UIWebView response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable iOS application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a custom scheme URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable app. After the app reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 2, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.htmlspecialchars() or htmlentities(), will prevent some, but not all cross-site scripting attacks. Depending on the context in which the data appear, characters beyond the basic <, >, &, and " that are HTML-encoded and those beyond <, >, &, ", and ' (only when ENT_QUOTES is set) that are XML-encoded may take on meta-meaning. Relying on such encoding functions is equivalent to using a weak deny list to prevent cross-site scripting and might allow an attacker to inject malicious code that will be executed in the browser. Because accurately identifying the context in which the data appear statically is not always possible, the Fortify Secure Coding Rulepacks reports cross-site scripting findings even when encoding is applied and presents them as Cross-Site Scripting: Poor Validation issues.text parameter, from an HTTP request, HTML-encodes it, and displays it in an alert box in between script tags.
<?php
$var=$_GET['text'];
...
$var2=htmlspecialchars($var);
echo "<script>alert('$var2')</script>";
?>
text contains only standard alphanumeric text. If text has a single quote, a round bracket and a semicolon, it ends the alert textbox thereafter the code will be executed.Example 1, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.eid, from an HTTP request, URL-encodes it, and displays it to the user.
...
-- Assume QUERY_STRING looks like EID=EmployeeID
eid := SUBSTR(OWA_UTIL.get_cgi_env('QUERY_STRING'), 5);
HTP.htmlOpen;
HTP.headOpen;
HTP.title ('Employee Information');
HTP.headClose;
HTP.bodyOpen;
HTP.br;
HTP.print('Employee ID: ' || HTMLDB_UTIL.url_encode(eid) || '');
HTP.br;
HTP.bodyClose;
HTP.htmlClose;
...
eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.
...
SELECT ename INTO name FROM emp WHERE id = eid;
HTP.htmlOpen;
HTP.headOpen;
HTP.title ('Employee Information');
HTP.headClose;
HTP.bodyOpen;
HTP.br;
HTP.print('Employee Name: ' || HTMLDB_UTIL.url_encode(name) || '');
HTP.br;
HTP.bodyClose;
HTP.htmlClose;
...
Example 1, this code functions correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.Example 1, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 2, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.eid, from an HTTP request, HTML-encodes it, and displays it to the user.
req = self.request() # fetch the request object
eid = req.field('eid',None) # tainted request message
...
self.writeln("Employee ID:" + escape(eid))
eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.
...
cursor.execute("select * from emp where id="+eid)
row = cursor.fetchone()
self.writeln('Employee name: ' + escape(row["emp"]))
...
Example 1, this code functions correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.Example 1, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 2, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.eid, from an HTTP request, HTML-encodes it, and displays it to the user.
eid = req.params['eid'] #gets request parameter 'eid'
Rack::Response.new.finish do |res|
...
res.write("Employee ID: #{eid}")
end
eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.Rack::Request#params() as in Example 1, this sees both GET and POST parameters, so may be vulnerable to various types of attacks other than just having the malicious code appended to the URL.
...
rs = conn.exec_params("select * from emp where id=?", eid)
...
Rack::Response.new.finish do |res|
...
rs.each do |row|
res.write("Employee name: #{escape(row['name'])}")
...
end
end
...
Example 1, this code functions correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation of all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.Example 1, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 2, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.eid, from an HTTP request and displays it to the user.
def getEmployee = Action { implicit request =>
var eid = request.getQueryString("eid")
eid = StringEscapeUtils.escapeHtml(eid); // insufficient validation
val employee = getEmployee(eid)
if (employee == Null) {
val html = Html(s"Employee ID ${eid} not found")
Ok(html) as HTML
}
...
}
eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.myapp://input_to_the_application). The untrusted data in the URL is then used to render HTML output in a UIWebView component.
...
func application(app: UIApplication, openURL url: NSURL, options: [String : AnyObject]) -> Bool {
...
let name = getQueryStringParameter(url.absoluteString, "name")
let html = "Hi \(name)"
let webView = UIWebView()
webView.loadHTMLString(html, baseURL:nil)
...
}
func getQueryStringParameter(url: String?, param: String) -> String? {
if let url = url, urlComponents = NSURLComponents(string: url), queryItems = (urlComponents.queryItems as? [NSURLQueryItem]) {
return queryItems.filter({ (item) in item.name == param }).first?.value!
}
return nil
}
...
Example 1, this code functions correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database and is HTML encoded. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. The attacker supplied exploit could bypass encoded characters or place input in a context which is not effected by HTML encoding. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.
...
let webView : WKWebView
let inputTextField : UITextField
webView.loadHTMLString(inputTextField.text, baseURL:nil)
...
inputTextField contains only standard alphanumeric text. If the text within inputTextField includes metacharacters or source code, then the input may be executed as code by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.Example 1, data is read directly from a custom URL scheme and reflected back in the content of a UIWebView response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable iOS application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a custom scheme URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable app. After the app reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 2, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.Example 3, a source outside the target application makes a URL request using the target application's custom URL scheme, and unvalidated data from the URL request subsequently read back into the application as trusted data and included in dynamic content.eid, from an HTTP request, HTML-encodes it, and displays it to the user.
...
eid = Request("eid")
Response.Write "Employee ID:" & Server.HTMLEncode(eid) & "<br/>"
..
eid contains only standard alphanumeric text. If eid has a value that includes metacharacters or source code, then the code is executed by the web browser as it displays the HTTP response.
...
eid = Request("eid")
strSQL = "Select * from emp where id=" & eid
objADORecordSet.Open strSQL, strConnect, adOpenDynamic, adLockOptimistic, adCmdText
while not objRec.EOF
Response.Write "Employee Name:" & Server.HTMLEncode(objADORecordSet("name"))
objADORecordSet.MoveNext
Wend
...
Example 1, this code functions correctly when the values of name are well-behaved, but it does nothing to prevent exploits if they are not. Again, this code can appear less dangerous because the value of name is read from a database, whose contents are apparently managed by the application. However, if the value of name originates from user-supplied data, then the database can be a conduit for malicious content. Without proper input validation on all data stored in the database, an attacker may execute malicious commands in the user's web browser. This type of exploit, known as Persistent (or Stored) XSS, is particularly insidious because the indirection caused by the data store makes it difficult to identify the threat and increases the possibility that the attack might affect multiple users. XSS got its start in this form with web sites that offered a "guestbook" to visitors. Attackers would include JavaScript in their guestbook entries, and all subsequent visitors to the guestbook page would execute the malicious code.Example 1, data is read directly from the HTTP request and reflected back in the HTTP response. Reflected XSS exploits occur when an attacker causes a user to supply dangerous content to a vulnerable web application, which is then reflected back to the user and executed by the web browser. The most common mechanism for delivering malicious content is to include it as a parameter in a URL that is posted publicly or emailed directly to victims. URLs constructed in this manner constitute the core of many phishing schemes, whereby an attacker convinces victims to visit a URL that refers to a vulnerable site. After the site reflects the attacker's content back to the user, the content is executed and proceeds to transfer private information, such as cookies that might include session information, from the user's machine to the attacker or perform other nefarious activities.Example 2, the application stores dangerous data in a database or other trusted data store. The dangerous data is subsequently read back into the application and included in dynamic content. Persistent XSS exploits occur when an attacker injects dangerous content into a data store that is later read and included in dynamic content. From an attacker's perspective, the optimal place to inject malicious content is in an area that is displayed to either many users or particularly interesting users. Interesting users typically have elevated privileges in the application or interact with sensitive data that is valuable to the attacker. If one of these users executes malicious content, the attacker may be able to perform privileged operations on behalf of the user or gain access to sensitive data belonging to the user.