Summary of XSS - Exploiting Vulnerable JQuery Sink

The video discusses executing a cross-site scripting (XSS) attack using a jQuery sink, illustrating that various sinks exist beyond just vanilla JavaScript. The speaker explains that jQuery is a helper library that simplifies DOM Manipulation compared to traditional JavaScript.

Key Concepts and Features:

• jQuery as a Helper Library: Unlike full frameworks, jQuery aids in writing less verbose code for DOM Manipulation.
• Identifying Vulnerable Sinks: The speaker navigates a lab scenario to find a vulnerable backlink in a Feedback Section, which is manipulated through jQuery.
• DOM Manipulation: The video explains how jQuery modifies the href attribute of an Anchor Tag using the attr function, pulling values from the URL's query string.
• Executing JavaScript via href: It is demonstrated that JavaScript can be executed directly from the href attribute by prefixing it with JavaScript:. This method is considered bad practice among developers due to concerns about mixing concerns in code.

Tutorial Steps:

1. Locate the Vulnerable Backlink: The speaker identifies the Anchor Tag with the ID backlink in the DOM.
2. Inspect the jQuery Code: The script tag shows how jQuery sets the href attribute based on URL parameters.
3. Craft the Payload: The speaker prepares to exploit the vulnerability by setting the href to JavaScript:alert(document.cookie).
4. Execution: Clicking the manipulated link executes the JavaScript, demonstrating the XSS Attack.

Conclusion:

The video emphasizes the potential for various sinks in XSS attacks and the importance of understanding how jQuery can be used in such exploits. The speaker encourages viewers to recognize that while some practices are deemed bad, they can still be leveraged for malicious purposes.

Main Speaker:

The video features an unnamed presenter who guides viewers through the XSS exploitation process using jQuery.

Notable Quotes

— 06:41 — « Developers are concerned that this doesn't allow for proper separation of concerns. »

— 08:18 — « It's a very ironic journey where we mix everything we're told off for mixing everything so we separate everything then we get really advanced and then just mix everything again. »

— 08:51 — « Even if it's for the wrong reasons, most developers don't know that you can just pass javascript directly as part of a href attribute on an anchor tag. »

Category

Technology

Video