Cross-site scripting.

From: Berend-Jan Wever (skylinedat_private)
Date: Sat Mar 23 2002 - 12:38:30 PST

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    This messages assumes basic knowledge about Cross-site scripting (CSS) and
    it's implications. For a quick summary of its implications see the bottom of
    this message first.
    
    I have recently done a "CSS marathon" and found _allmost_ every page I tried
    vulnerable within an half an hour. These include microsoft, altavista,
    google, cnet, time, ebay, amazon, netscape, yahoo and redhat. This list
    probably could have gone on forever if I had taken the time. I have
    contacted every one of them about this (except for yahoo and ebay because I
    was unable to find a contact emailaddress or feedback form; if it takes
    longer to find the contact info than to find the CSS, f#ck 'em) I am now
    awaiting their respondses.
    
    But the ease with which I CSS-ed the hell out of everyone of them got me
    thinking. I'm not going to be the "beta-tester" slave for the whole
    internet. The sites I contacted will probably just patch the one hole I
    found so I will probably be able to find others and what about all the sites
    I haven't tried yet? Maybe there should be a "general advisory" going out to
    every webdesigner out there that CSS is as dangerous as it is common.
    Feedback on the usefullness (or futility) of a "general CSS advisory" would
    be appreciated.
    
    
    Berend-Jan Wever
    
    --------------------------------------------
    CSS implications
    
    By opening a specially crafted URL in the targetted user's web browser (for
    instance when he visits your website or reads an email you sent him).
    - read anything that user can read from the CSS-vulnerable site.
    (addressbook, personal info, etc...)
    - do whatever that user can do on the CSS-vulnerable site (send messages,
    order stuff, change personal settings and passwords)
    - spoof the contents of the CSS-vulnerable site (make somebody think he is
    looking at www.foo.com while the contents of the page actually comes from
    your site www.bar.com)
    



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