CWE-80
AllowedImproper Neutralization of Script-Related HTML Tags in a Web Page (Basic XSS)
Abstraction: Variant · Status: Incomplete
The product receives input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special characters such as "<", ">", and "&" that could be interpreted as web-scripting elements when they are sent to a downstream component that processes web pages.
936 vulnerabilities reference this CWE, most recent first.
GHSA-W3WH-G4M9-783P
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2025-07-14 21:40 – Updated: 2025-07-15 00:34Impact
The XHTML syntax depended on the xdom+xml/current syntax which allows the creation of raw blocks that permit the insertion of arbitrary HTML content including JavaScript. This allows XSS attacks for users who can edit a document like their user profile (enabled by default). The attack works by setting the document's syntax to xdom+xml/current and then inserting content like
<document><p><metadata><metadata><entry><string>syntax</string><org.xwiki.rendering.syntax.Syntax><type><name>XHTML</name><id>xhtml</id><variants class="empty-list"></variants></type><version>5</version></org.xwiki.rendering.syntax.Syntax></entry></metadata></metadata></p><rawtext syntax="html/5.0" content="<script>alert(1);</script>"></rawtext></document>
This has been fixed by removing the dependency on the xdom+xml/current syntax from the XHTML syntax. Note that the xdom+xml syntax is still vulnerable to this attack. As it's main purpose is testing and its use is quite difficult, this syntax shouldn't be installed or used on a regular wiki. We're currently not aware of any further dependencies on it.
Patches
The fix of removing the dependency has been included in XWiki 14.10. It is not released for earlier versions due to the potential breakages, among others this change makes it necessary to update the Confluence XHTML syntax as it relies on internals that were changed for the fix. Similar XSS fixes were also not applied to the LTS version 13.10.x due to the potential breakages.
Workarounds
There are no known workarounds apart from upgrading.
References
- https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XRENDERING-660
- https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-rendering/commit/a4ca31f99f524b9456c64150d6f375984aa81ea7
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory: * Open an issue in Jira XWiki.org * Email us at Security Mailing List
{
"affected": [
{
"package": {
"ecosystem": "Maven",
"name": "org.xwiki.rendering:xwiki-rendering-syntax-xhtml"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "5.4.5"
},
{
"fixed": "14.10"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
]
}
],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2025-53835"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-79",
"CWE-80"
],
"github_reviewed": true,
"github_reviewed_at": "2025-07-14T21:40:21Z",
"nvd_published_at": "2025-07-14T23:15:25Z",
"severity": "CRITICAL"
},
"details": "### Impact\nThe XHTML syntax depended on the `xdom+xml/current` syntax which allows the creation of raw blocks that permit the insertion of arbitrary HTML content including JavaScript. This allows XSS attacks for users who can edit a document like their user profile (enabled by default). The attack works by setting the document\u0027s syntax to `xdom+xml/current` and then inserting content like\n```\n\u003cdocument\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cmetadata\u003e\u003cmetadata\u003e\u003centry\u003e\u003cstring\u003esyntax\u003c/string\u003e\u003corg.xwiki.rendering.syntax.Syntax\u003e\u003ctype\u003e\u003cname\u003eXHTML\u003c/name\u003e\u003cid\u003exhtml\u003c/id\u003e\u003cvariants class=\"empty-list\"\u003e\u003c/variants\u003e\u003c/type\u003e\u003cversion\u003e5\u003c/version\u003e\u003c/org.xwiki.rendering.syntax.Syntax\u003e\u003c/entry\u003e\u003c/metadata\u003e\u003c/metadata\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003crawtext syntax=\"html/5.0\" content=\"\u0026lt;script\u0026gt;alert(1);\u0026lt;/script\u0026gt;\"\u003e\u003c/rawtext\u003e\u003c/document\u003e\n```\n\nThis has been fixed by removing the dependency on the `xdom+xml/current` syntax from the XHTML syntax. Note that the `xdom+xml` syntax is still vulnerable to this attack. As it\u0027s main purpose is testing and its use is quite difficult, this syntax shouldn\u0027t be installed or used on a regular wiki. We\u0027re currently not aware of any further dependencies on it.\n\n### Patches\nThe fix of removing the dependency has been included in XWiki 14.10. It is not released for earlier versions due to the potential breakages, among others this change makes it necessary to update the [Confluence XHTML syntax](https://extensions.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Extension/Confluence/Syntax%20XHTML/) as it relies on internals that were changed for the fix. Similar XSS fixes were also not applied to the LTS version 13.10.x due to the potential breakages.\n\n### Workarounds\nThere are no known workarounds apart from upgrading.\n\n### References\n* https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XRENDERING-660\n* https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-rendering/commit/a4ca31f99f524b9456c64150d6f375984aa81ea7\n\n### For more information\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory:\n* Open an issue in [Jira XWiki.org](https://jira.xwiki.org/)\n* Email us at [Security Mailing List](mailto:security@xwiki.org)",
"id": "GHSA-w3wh-g4m9-783p",
"modified": "2025-07-15T00:34:58Z",
"published": "2025-07-14T21:40:21Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-rendering/security/advisories/GHSA-w3wh-g4m9-783p"
},
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-53835"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-rendering/commit/a4ca31f99f524b9456c64150d6f375984aa81ea7"
},
{
"type": "PACKAGE",
"url": "https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-rendering"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XRENDERING-660"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
],
"summary": "XWiki Rendering is vulnerable to XSS attacks through insecure XHTML syntax"
}
GHSA-W469-2XCP-6MQ4
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-01-23 15:31 – Updated: 2026-01-26 21:30Improper Neutralization of Script-Related HTML Tags in a Web Page (Basic XSS) vulnerability in Israpil Textmetrics webtexttool allows Code Injection.This issue affects Textmetrics: from n/a through <= 3.6.3.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2026-24564"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-80"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2026-01-23T15:16:13Z",
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "Improper Neutralization of Script-Related HTML Tags in a Web Page (Basic XSS) vulnerability in Israpil Textmetrics webtexttool allows Code Injection.This issue affects Textmetrics: from n/a through \u003c= 3.6.3.",
"id": "GHSA-w469-2xcp-6mq4",
"modified": "2026-01-26T21:30:35Z",
"published": "2026-01-23T15:31:36Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-24564"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/webtexttool/vulnerability/wordpress-textmetrics-plugin-3-6-3-arbitrary-shortcode-execution-vulnerability?_s_id=cve"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
GHSA-W4FJ-87J5-F25C
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-04-14 22:33 – Updated: 2026-04-27 15:02Impact
A reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability (XSS) in the compare view between revisions of a page allows executing JavaScript code in the user's browser. If the current user is an admin, this can not only affect the current user but also the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the whole XWiki instance.
Patches
The problem has been patched by properly escaping the URL parameters.
Workarounds
The patch can be applied manually to templates/changesdoc.vm in the deployed WAR.
Attribution
XWiki thanks Mike Cole @mikecole-mg for discovering and reporting this vulnerability.
{
"affected": [
{
"package": {
"ecosystem": "Maven",
"name": "org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "10.4-rc-1"
},
{
"fixed": "16.10.16"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
]
},
{
"package": {
"ecosystem": "Maven",
"name": "org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "17.0.0-rc-1"
},
{
"fixed": "17.4.8"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
]
},
{
"package": {
"ecosystem": "Maven",
"name": "org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-web-templates"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "17.5.0-rc-1"
},
{
"fixed": "17.10.1"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
]
}
],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2026-40105"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-80"
],
"github_reviewed": true,
"github_reviewed_at": "2026-04-14T22:33:56Z",
"nvd_published_at": "2026-04-15T04:17:48Z",
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "### Impact\nA reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability (XSS) in the compare view between revisions of a page allows executing JavaScript code in the user\u0027s browser. If the current user is an admin, this can not only affect the current user but also the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the whole XWiki instance.\n\n### Patches\nThe problem has been patched by properly escaping the URL parameters.\n\n### Workarounds\nThe [patch](https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/3c8a2ec985641367015c2db937574fcd360c788c#diff-a5e75a4e3820a63c02a32666dda67c73ee7885ab8e7f67e52cfcb3be5a13326e) can be applied manually to `templates/changesdoc.vm` in the deployed WAR.\n\n### Attribution\n\nXWiki thanks Mike Cole @mikecole-mg for discovering and reporting this vulnerability.",
"id": "GHSA-w4fj-87j5-f25c",
"modified": "2026-04-27T15:02:22Z",
"published": "2026-04-14T22:33:56Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/security/advisories/GHSA-w4fj-87j5-f25c"
},
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-40105"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/3c8a2ec985641367015c2db937574fcd360c788c"
},
{
"type": "PACKAGE",
"url": "https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-23472"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
},
{
"score": "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H",
"type": "CVSS_V4"
}
],
"summary": "XWiki has Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) in page history compare"
}
GHSA-W4R7-MMM7-Q5MJ
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2025-03-17 21:30 – Updated: 2025-03-19 21:30Code-projects Online Class and Exam Scheduling System V1.0 is vulnerable to Cross Site Scripting (XSS) in /pages/class.php via the id and cys parameters.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2025-29426"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-80"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2025-03-17T21:15:14Z",
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "Code-projects Online Class and Exam Scheduling System V1.0 is vulnerable to Cross Site Scripting (XSS) in /pages/class.php via the id and cys parameters.",
"id": "GHSA-w4r7-mmm7-q5mj",
"modified": "2025-03-19T21:30:51Z",
"published": "2025-03-17T21:30:35Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-29426"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/872323857/CVE/blob/main/Online%20Class%20and%20Exam%20Scheduling%20System-class.php.md"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
GHSA-W4XX-XXH4-422C
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2024-10-20 12:30 – Updated: 2026-04-01 18:32Improper Neutralization of Script-Related HTML Tags in a Web Page (Basic XSS) vulnerability in WPFactory EU/UK VAT Manager for WooCommerce allows Cross-Site Scripting (XSS).This issue affects EU/UK VAT Manager for WooCommerce: from n/a through 2.12.14.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2024-44061"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-79",
"CWE-80"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2024-10-20T10:15:02Z",
"severity": "HIGH"
},
"details": "Improper Neutralization of Script-Related HTML Tags in a Web Page (Basic XSS) vulnerability in WPFactory EU/UK VAT Manager for WooCommerce allows Cross-Site Scripting (XSS).This issue affects EU/UK VAT Manager for WooCommerce: from n/a through 2.12.14.",
"id": "GHSA-w4xx-xxh4-422c",
"modified": "2026-04-01T18:32:07Z",
"published": "2024-10-20T12:30:29Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-44061"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://patchstack.com/database/Wordpress/Plugin/eu-vat-for-woocommerce/vulnerability/wordpress-eu-uk-vat-manager-for-woocommerce-plugin-2-12-8-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/eu-vat-for-woocommerce/wordpress-eu-uk-vat-manager-for-woocommerce-plugin-2-12-8-cross-site-scripting-xss-vulnerability?_s_id=cve"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
GHSA-W8F7-V445-8X5Q
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-01-20 18:31 – Updated: 2026-01-20 18:31IBM Application Gateway 23.10 through 25.09 is vulnerable to HTML injection. A remote attacker could inject malicious HTML code, which when viewed, would be executed in the victim's Web browser within the security context of the hosting site.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2025-36397"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-80"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2026-01-20T16:16:04Z",
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "IBM Application Gateway 23.10 through 25.09 is vulnerable to HTML injection. A remote attacker could inject malicious HTML code, which when viewed, would be executed in the victim\u0027s Web browser within the security context of the hosting site.",
"id": "GHSA-w8f7-v445-8x5q",
"modified": "2026-01-20T18:31:57Z",
"published": "2026-01-20T18:31:57Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-36397"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7256857"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
GHSA-WGWR-QHPR-QCH5
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2024-06-04 12:31 – Updated: 2024-06-04 12:31Improper Neutralization of Script-Related HTML Tags in a Web Page (Basic XSS) vulnerability in Vsourz Digital Responsive Slick Slider WordPress allows Code Injection.This issue affects Responsive Slick Slider WordPress: from n/a through 1.4.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2023-49852"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-80"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2024-06-04T12:15:10Z",
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "Improper Neutralization of Script-Related HTML Tags in a Web Page (Basic XSS) vulnerability in Vsourz Digital Responsive Slick Slider WordPress allows Code Injection.This issue affects Responsive Slick Slider WordPress: from n/a through 1.4.",
"id": "GHSA-wgwr-qhpr-qch5",
"modified": "2024-06-04T12:31:04Z",
"published": "2024-06-04T12:31:04Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-49852"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/responsive-slick-slider/wordpress-responsive-slick-slider-wordpress-plugin-1-4-content-injection-vulnerability?_s_id=cve"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
GHSA-WJ4R-J458-WPF8
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2025-08-26 09:30 – Updated: 2025-08-26 09:30The WordPress Automatic Plugin plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in all versions up to, and including, 3.118.0. This is due to missing or incorrect nonce validation on one of its functions. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to update campaigns and inject malicious web scripts via a forged request granted they can trick a site administrator into performing an action such as clicking on a link.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2025-6247"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-80"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2025-08-26T09:15:30Z",
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "The WordPress Automatic Plugin plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery in all versions up to, and including, 3.118.0. This is due to missing or incorrect nonce validation on one of its functions. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to update campaigns and inject malicious web scripts via a forged request granted they can trick a site administrator into performing an action such as clicking on a link.",
"id": "GHSA-wj4r-j458-wpf8",
"modified": "2025-08-26T09:30:28Z",
"published": "2025-08-26T09:30:28Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-6247"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://codecanyon.net/item/wordpress-automatic-plugin/1904470"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/95d68a5d-4d0b-4030-a80a-ada31b118af2?source=cve"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
GHSA-WJ8X-W54J-4X8J
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2024-06-04 09:30 – Updated: 2024-06-04 09:30Improper Neutralization of Script-Related HTML Tags in a Web Page (Basic XSS) vulnerability in PickPlugins Tabs & Accordion allows Code Injection.This issue affects Tabs & Accordion: from n/a through 1.3.10.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2023-40557"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-80"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2024-06-04T08:15:09Z",
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "Improper Neutralization of Script-Related HTML Tags in a Web Page (Basic XSS) vulnerability in PickPlugins Tabs \u0026 Accordion allows Code Injection.This issue affects Tabs \u0026 Accordion: from n/a through 1.3.10.",
"id": "GHSA-wj8x-w54j-4x8j",
"modified": "2024-06-04T09:30:57Z",
"published": "2024-06-04T09:30:57Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-40557"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/tabs/wordpress-tabs-accordion-plugin-1-3-8-content-injection-vulnerability?_s_id=cve"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
GHSA-WJCQ-CQHF-F7RM
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2025-06-12 12:32 – Updated: 2025-06-12 12:32An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting with 18.0 before 18.0.2. Under certain conditions html injection in new search page could lead to account takeover.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2025-4278"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-80"
],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2025-06-12T10:16:39Z",
"severity": "HIGH"
},
"details": "An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting with 18.0 before 18.0.2. Under certain conditions html injection in new search page could lead to account takeover.",
"id": "GHSA-wjcq-cqhf-f7rm",
"modified": "2025-06-12T12:32:04Z",
"published": "2025-06-12T12:32:04Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-4278"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://hackerone.com/reports/3085738"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/539198"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
]
}
Mitigation
Carefully check each input parameter against a rigorous positive specification (allowlist) defining the specific characters and format allowed. All input should be neutralized, not just parameters that the user is supposed to specify, but all data in the request, including hidden fields, cookies, headers, the URL itself, and so forth. A common mistake that leads to continuing XSS vulnerabilities is to validate only fields that are expected to be redisplayed by the site. We often encounter data from the request that is reflected by the application server or the application that the development team did not anticipate. Also, a field that is not currently reflected may be used by a future developer. Therefore, validating ALL parts of the HTTP request is recommended.
Mitigation MIT-30.1
Strategy: Output Encoding
- Use and specify an output encoding that can be handled by the downstream component that is reading the output. Common encodings include ISO-8859-1, UTF-7, and UTF-8. When an encoding is not specified, a downstream component may choose a different encoding, either by assuming a default encoding or automatically inferring which encoding is being used, which can be erroneous. When the encodings are inconsistent, the downstream component might treat some character or byte sequences as special, even if they are not special in the original encoding. Attackers might then be able to exploit this discrepancy and conduct injection attacks; they even might be able to bypass protection mechanisms that assume the original encoding is also being used by the downstream component.
- The problem of inconsistent output encodings often arises in web pages. If an encoding is not specified in an HTTP header, web browsers often guess about which encoding is being used. This can open up the browser to subtle XSS attacks.
Mitigation MIT-43
With Struts, write all data from form beans with the bean's filter attribute set to true.
Mitigation MIT-31
Strategy: Attack Surface Reduction
To help mitigate XSS attacks against the user's session cookie, set the session cookie to be HttpOnly. In browsers that support the HttpOnly feature (such as more recent versions of Internet Explorer and Firefox), this attribute can prevent the user's session cookie from being accessible to malicious client-side scripts that use document.cookie. This is not a complete solution, since HttpOnly is not supported by all browsers. More importantly, XmlHttpRequest and other powerful browser technologies provide read access to HTTP headers, including the Set-Cookie header in which the HttpOnly flag is set.
CAPEC-18: XSS Targeting Non-Script Elements
This attack is a form of Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) where malicious scripts are embedded in elements that are not expected to host scripts such as image tags (<img>), comments in XML documents (< !-CDATA->), etc. These tags may not be subject to the same input validation, output validation, and other content filtering and checking routines, so this can create an opportunity for an adversary to tunnel through the application's elements and launch a XSS attack through other elements. As with all remote attacks, it is important to differentiate the ability to launch an attack (such as probing an internal network for unpatched servers) and the ability of the remote adversary to collect and interpret the output of said attack.
CAPEC-193: PHP Remote File Inclusion
In this pattern the adversary is able to load and execute arbitrary code remotely available from the application. This is usually accomplished through an insecurely configured PHP runtime environment and an improperly sanitized "include" or "require" call, which the user can then control to point to any web-accessible file. This allows adversaries to hijack the targeted application and force it to execute their own instructions.
CAPEC-32: XSS Through HTTP Query Strings
An adversary embeds malicious script code in the parameters of an HTTP query string and convinces a victim to submit the HTTP request that contains the query string to a vulnerable web application. The web application then procedes to use the values parameters without properly validation them first and generates the HTML code that will be executed by the victim's browser.
CAPEC-86: XSS Through HTTP Headers
An adversary exploits web applications that generate web content, such as links in a HTML page, based on unvalidated or improperly validated data submitted by other actors. XSS in HTTP Headers attacks target the HTTP headers which are hidden from most users and may not be validated by web applications.