Click Based XSS

WHAT IS CLICK BASED XSS?

Click-based XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) is a type of Stored or Reflected XSS attack that leverages user interactions, such as clicks, to execute malicious scripts. It typically involves event-driven JavaScript execution triggered when a user clicks on a link, button, or any interactive element on a web page.

HOW DOES CLICK BASED XSS WORK?

Injecting Malicious Script: The attacker injects a malicious script into a web application via a vulnerability (e.g., input fields, URL parameters).

Triggering via Click Event: The script is designed to execute when the user clicks on a specific area of the webpage.

Stealing Data or Hijacking Sessions: Once executed, the script can perform malicious actions like stealing cookies, credentials, or redirecting users to phishing sites.

MITIGATION FOR CLICK BASED XSS:

Input Validation & Sanitization – Filter and sanitize user input to remove malicious scripts (e.g., use DOM-Purify, OWASP Java HTML Sanitizer).

Output Encoding – Encode user input before rendering (e.g. HTML.ESCAPE() in Python, ESAPI for Java).

Content Security Policy (CSP) – Restrict inline scripts and allow only trusted sources (Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self').

Avoid Inline Event Handlers – Use addEventListener() instead of onclick.

CONCLUSION:

Click-Based XSS exploits user interactions to execute malicious scripts, leading to data theft or session hijacking. Prevent it with input validation, output encoding, CSP, avoiding inline event handlers, and secure cookies. Regular security testing and WAFs enhance protection. Stay proactive to ensure a secure web experience!