XSS

1. Reflected XSS Methods

Reflected XSS attacks exploit vulnerabilities where user input is included in the response without proper sanitization. Below are some common approaches.

Mind Map for Reflected XSS

An extensive mind map detailing approaches to reflected XSS can be found here: Reflected XSS Mindmap by @A9HORA.

1.1 Using Burp Suite

1. Install the Reflection and Sentinel plugins for Burp Suite.

2. Walk and spider the target site.

3. Inspect the reflected parameters tab in Burp.

4. Send parameters to Sentinel for automated analysis or verify manually.

1.2 Using WaybackURLs and Similar Tools

1. Use Gau or WaybackURLs to collect URLs.

2. Filter parameters using grep "=" or GF patterns and store them in a file.

3. Run Gxss or Bxss on the file.

4. Manually inspect reflected parameters or use Dalfox.

1.3 Using Google Dorks

1. Use Google Dork: site:target.com

2. Find links with parameters using dorks such as:

   • site:target.com inurl:".php?"

   • site:target.com filetype:php

   • More dorks: Top 100 XSS Dorks

3. Check if parameters are reflected in HTML.

4. Inject XSS payloads or test with automated tools.

1.4 Finding Hidden Variables in Source Code

1. Inspect JavaScript and HTML source files for hidden parameters.

2. Search manually in Page Source for:

   • var=

   • =""

   • =''

3. Append discovered parameters to URLs, e.g., https://example.com?hiddenvariablename=xss

1.5 Other Techniques

1. Use Methods 1 or 2 to gather URLs.

2. Identify the firewall using WhatWaf.

3. Find WAF bypass payloads:

   • Twitter search

   • Awesome WAF Bypass

4. Use Arjun to discover hidden parameters.

Additional Tips

• Examine error pages (404, 403, etc.) for reflected values.

• Trigger a 403 error by requesting the .htaccess file.

• Test all reflected parameters for XSS.

Video References

• Reflected XSS Automation

• Practical XSS Hunting

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2. Stored XSS Methods

Stored XSS occurs when malicious scripts are permanently stored on the target website.

Steps for Detecting Stored XSS

1. Enumerate the firewall and identify WAF rules.

2. Test payloads in fields such as:

   • Username

   • Address

   • Email

3. Inject payloads in profile picture filenames and metadata.

4. Attempt injections in comments, reviews, and feedback sections.

5. Try every input field that reflects data to other users.

6. Register an account with an XSS payload in the name field.

Additional Tips

• Test entity injection with:

  <a href=#>test</a>

• If any payload is executed, refine and escalate the attack.

Write-Up Reference

• How I Found My First Stored XSS

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3. Blind XSS

Blind XSS occurs when the payload does not immediately reflect, but executes later in backend systems or admin panels.

Detection Techniques

1. Inject payloads that call back to a listener on your server.

2. Use:

   • XSS Hunter

   • Burp Collaborator

   • Ngrok for receiving callbacks.

3. Test injection points such as:

   • Contact forms

   • Admin dashboards

   • User input logs

   • E-commerce checkout fields

Common Injection Points

• Review and feedback forms

• Address fields in e-commerce sites

• User-Agent headers

• Log viewers

• Chat applications

• Moderation panels

Video References

• Blind XSS Hunting

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4. DOM-Based XSS

DOM XSS occurs when JavaScript dynamically manipulates the page without sanitizing user input.

Tips

• Manual detection is difficult; use tools like:

  • Burp Suite PRO

  • RA2 DOM XSS Scanner

Video References

• Understanding DOM XSS

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5. XSS Filter Evasion Techniques

General Bypass Techniques

• Replace < and > with HTML entities:

  <script>alert(1)</script>

• Use XSS polyglots:

  javascript:/*--></title></style></textarea></script></xmp><svg/onload='+/"/+/onmouseover=1/+/[*/[]/+alert(1)//'>

  • Full XSS Polyglots List

XSS Firewall Bypass

• Bypass lowercase filtering:

  <scRipT>alert(1)</scRipT>

• Break firewall regex using new lines:

  <script>%0alert(1)</script>

• Double Encoding:

  %2522

• Recursive filters bypass:

  <src<script>ipt>alert(1);</scr</script>ipt>

• Injecting anchor tags without whitespace:

  <a/href="j&Tab;a&Tab;v&Tab;asc&Tab;ri&Tab;pt:alert&lpar;1&rpar;">

• Bypassing whitespace filtering using a bullet (•):

  <svg•onload=alert(1)>

• Changing request methods:

  GET /?q=xss  
  POST / q=xss

• Injecting CRLF characters for HTTP response splitting:

  GET /%0A%0DValue=%20Virus

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Acknowledgments and References

Special Thanks

• The XSS Rat

• @sratarun

References

• Hunting Checklist

Authors

• @KathanP19

• @harsha0x01

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Enhanced and reformatted for HowToHunt repository by remonsec