Reflected cross-site scripting (or XSS) occurs when an application gets data in an HTTP request and incorporates that data in an unsafe manner inside the instant response.

Assume a website offers a search feature that takes a user-supplied search phrase as a URL parameter:

https://insecure-site.com/search?argument=clothes

In response to this URL, the program repeats the specified search term:

<p>You searched for: clothes</p>

Assuming the program does not do any more data processing, an attacker can devise the following attack:

https://insecure-site.com/search?argument=<script>/*+injected+script+here...+*/</script>

This URL yields the following result:

<p>You searched for: <script>/* injected script here... */</script></p>

If another application user accesses the attacker’s URL, the script given by the attacker will be executed in the target user’s browser, inside the context of their session with the application.

Impact of reflected XSS attacks

An attacker may often totally compromise a user if they can manipulate a script that is performed in the victim’s browser. The attacker can, among other things:

• Perform any action available to the user within the program.
• View any information that the user has access to.
• Change any information that the user has the ability to change.
• Initiate interactions with other program users, including harmful assaults that appear to be initiated by the original victim user.

There are several ways for an attacker to persuade a target user to create a request that they control in order to deliver a reflected XSS attack. These include posting links on the attacker’s website or another website that permits material to be created, as well as sending a link in an email, tweet, or other communication. The attack might be directed directly against a known user, or it could be directed at all users of the application:

Because the attack requires an external delivery method, the impact of reflected XSS is often less severe than that of stored XSS, where a self-contained attack may be conducted within the susceptible application itself.

Frequently Asked Questions About Reflected Cross-Site Scripting

What is the distinction between reflected and stored XSS? Reflected XSS occurs when an application accepts some input from an HTTP request and embeds it in an unsafe fashion in the instant response. Instead, with stored XSS, the program saves the input and embeds it in an unsafe manner in a subsequent response.

What is the distinction between reflected and self-XSS? Self-XSS is similar to reflected XSS in application behavior, but it cannot be initiated in the same way by a contrived URL or a cross-domain request. Instead, the vulnerability is only activated if the victim uploads the XSS payload through their browser. Typically, delivering a self-XSS attack entails socially engineering the victim into pasting some attacker-supplied input into their browser. As such, it is typically seen as a minor, low-impact condition.

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