Preventing Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
This article explains Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks, their impact on website security, and practical steps you can take to protect your site from these vulnerabilities. It also covers how website scanning services can help detect and address security issues.
What is it?
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) is a type of attack cybercriminals use to gain unauthorized access to your web pages. Attackers will insert a piece of code into your site, usually through an input field such as a search box, user ID, or Name/Address box, to use this attack. If your website is vulnerable to this type of attack, the attacker can access and control the content of your page, including the user's cookies or session variables.
What is the impact?
Cybercriminals use this type of attack to trick visitors into providing personal data. Since visitors believe they are providing this information to a trusted site, they can unknowingly provide sensitive information to attackers. The attackers then use this information, such as usernames, passwords, credit card information, etc., to carry out identity theft and other criminal activities.
What can I do about it?
Keep website applications up-to-date and limit the use of third-party plugins where possible, as they can increase the number of vulnerabilities on your site. Any third-party themes and plugins used should be updated regularly to their latest secure versions to address or prevent vulnerabilities. Being vigilant and proactive about website security is also important. Use a website scanning service that features XSS vulnerability scans to help identify and address issues.
A website scan will alert you when any file on your website is infected with malware. This service scans your website files and removes malicious files and suspicious content from legitimate files.
If you are writing your own code, validate your input fields for special characters and ensure that your code settings are frequently updated and hardened for security. You can also use expert services to correct any issues identified during scans.