Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) in Backend
Explore how XSS can originate from backend vulnerabilities and discover strategies for proper output encoding and validation.
XSS from a Backend Perspective
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) is a type of security vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
While XSS attacks execute in the user's browser (client-side), the root cause often lies in how the backend application handles, stores, and outputs user-supplied data.
Backend's Role in XSS
Your backend application is responsible for managing user data. This includes:
- Receiving input from users.
- Storing that input (e.g., in a database).
- Retrieving and sending that input back to browsers for display.
If the backend fails to properly process or 'sanitize' this data before sending it to the browser, it creates an XSS vulnerability.
All lessons in this course
- SQL Injection Prevention
- Command & Code Injection
- Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) in Backend
- Preventing XML and LDAP Injection