An Exploitation of Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability on Web Applications

Abstract

Attacks on web applications are increasing quickly with the advent of new technologies. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) is a known vulnerability that exist in web applications. Attackers can exploit XSS to access web browser resources, such as cookies, credentials, and other sensitive information by injecting malicious client-side scripts into a website application. These scripts are then executed by users as they browse the site. This paper introduces XSS attacks with some examples of popular attacks. Methodologies for detecting and preventing cross-site scripting vulnerabilities are established and summarized by proposing a model for exploiting XSS vulnerabilities through reflected and stored attacks. The subsequent results are discussed and countermeasures are carried out to detect and prevent XSS vulnerabilities.