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Understanding XSS: An In-Depth Explanation of a Cybersecurity Threat
November 8, 2023[Media] XSS Attacks Across Social Media: A Historical Analysis
Summary
1. The MySpace (2005)
Overview
In 2005, a unique worm known as “Samy” or “JS.Spacehero” made its presence felt on the MySpace platform. Created by Samy Kamkar, this worm rapidly spread across the entire social media site using cross-site scripting (XSS). Astonishingly, this worm reached over a million users within a mere 20 hours after its appearance on October 4th, earning the title of the quickest spreading virus in history.
Causes and Mechanisms
● Circumventing Tag Restrictions
While MySpace took measures to block numerous HTML tags to safeguard against script injections, certain browsers had a loophole. They permitted the use of JavaScript within CSS tags. This oversight was exploited, paving the way for JavaScript to run on user profile pages.
● Enabling JavaScript Execution
● Altering User Profiles
For the worm to spread, it had to embed its code into the profile of any user who viewed compromised profiles. By using the eval() function, the worm could create strings resembling “inner HTML.” This allowed it to access and modify the page’s source code, despite MySpace’s attempts to eliminate such strings.
● Web Interactions
● Proliferation Mechanism
Attackers and Objectives
The MySpace XSS attack, also known as the Samy worm or JS.Spacehero, was orchestrated by an individual named Samy Kamkar. The primary objective behind this attack wasn’t malicious; instead, it was more of a prank. The worm carried a payload that would alter the victim’s MySpace profile page to display the string “but most of all, Samy is my hero” and send a friend request to Samy Kamkar. Subsequently, the term “MySpace worm” became synonymous with this notable event in internet history, highlighting the potential vulnerabilities in web applications, particularly on social networking sites.
Addressing and Resolving the Issue
Once the worm was identified, MySpace swiftly responded by temporarily disabling the platform to prevent further propagation of the worm. Although exact measures taken by MySpace to tackle the situation are not abundantly clear, it’s acknowledged that the platform bolstered its security to patch the vulnerability which had enabled the worm to spread. Concurrently, it was observed that “embed” elements were removed from user profiles, ceasing the autoplay of music and movies, suggesting this as a step toward thwarting similar threats in the future.
Following the Samy worm incident, the digital security industry delveed deeper and strategized for coping with the threats of XSS attacks. Notably, the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) launched the Anti-Samy initiative aimed at ensuring that user-generated HTML/CSS adheres to the application’s predefined guidelines, aiming to prevent similar attacks proactively. Though not directly tied to MySpace’s resolution of the Samy worm debacle, this initiative is not directly related to how MySpace addressed the Samy worm incident, it serves as an example of the extensive efforts within the technology community to address vulnerabilities exposed by such incidents.
2. Facebook (2011)
Overview
Back in 2011, Facebook found itself in the crosshairs of an XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) attack, a scenario brought to light by cybersecurity experts prior to the launch of Facebook’s bug bounty initiative. The crux of the issue lay within the Facebook Mail feature, but was promptly addressed by the tech giant in July 2011. This incident underscored the susceptibility of platforms to XSS attacks, where malicious scripts could potentially pave the way for further malware incursions.
Causes
The roots of this cyberattack can be traced to the innate risks tied to Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), a malicious technique enabling attackers to embed harmful scripts within web applications, unbeknownst to other users. Facebook’s predicament arose from inadequate input validation coupled with ineffective output encoding. Such lapses provided a window of opportunity for malicious actors to interject harmful scripts, especially within the confines of the Facebook Mail functionality.
Attackers and Objectives
Solution
In 2011, Facebook experienced an XSS attack due to a flaw in the search function of their Translations tool. This tool enabled users to search for phrases within translations. When a search yielded no results, a message was displayed, incorporating unsanitized user input from the search query. This flaw opened the door for a straightforward reflected XSS attack.
To counter such threats, it’s vital to cleanse user inputs before displaying them on a webpage. This involves converting specific characters integral to HTML syntax (e.g., <, >, &) into their corresponding HTML entities. This action prevents browsers from misinterpreting them as part of the HTML content, effectively thwarting XSS attacks. Implementing security measures like the Content Security Policy (CSP) can provide additional protection against XSS attacks by defining where and what type of resources can be loaded and executed. Regular updates and consistent testing of all website components are also essential, especially since less frequently accessed sections might be more vulnerable to threats.
In conclusion, Facebook’s siwft response and remediation of this vulnerability upon discovery are commendable¹. This incident emphasizes the significance of transparent communication and collaboration between security experts and businesses.
3. TweetDeck (2014)
Overview
TweetDeck, a social media dashboard application for managing Twitter accounts, experienced a significant security breach due to an XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) worm in 2014. This worm radiply propagated, impacting thousands of users through self-retweets from infected accounts. Due to severity of the issue, Twitter had to temporarily suspend TweetDeck to address the security vulnerability.
Causes
The XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) attack on TweetDeck occurred due to a vulnerability that allowed an attacker to remotely hijack a user’s account and tweet a malicious script. This vulnerability represents a common security hole in web applications that could allow attackers to bypass access controls, like passwords or security questions, by making the application run an external script.
Attackers and objectives
The primary purpose of this script was to self-propagate by sending out further tweets and to push message pop-ups on the screens of affected users. It was reported that the attack redirected users to a porn site based in Japan, but the flaw could have also been exploited to lead users to phishing or malware-infected sites. A 19-year-old tech enthusiast from Austrian named Florian was attributed with initiating this hack.However Florian claimed to have encountered the TweetDeck security vulnerability by accident while experimenting with a heart symbol loaded with a string of code.
Solution
Twitter responded by temporarily shutting down TweetDeck to fix the XSS security vulnerability, which was mainly affecting users who ran TweetDeck in web browsers like Google Chrome. After successfully resolving the issue, the service was restored, and TweetDeck became accessible again for all users, both on desktop and web clients.
4. Email Security and XSS Attacks
Consequences of Email-based XSS Attacks
● Session Hijacking
● Data Theft
● Spreading Malware
Protecting Against Email-based XSS Attacks
● Sanitize Input
● Content Security Policy (CSP)
● User Education
● Regular Updates
References
The MySpace
Technical explanation of the MySpace Worm
https://web.archive.org/web/20160305044015/http://samy.pl/popular/tech.html
Computerworld – Samy worm creator hopes to be online again
https://www.computerworld.com/article/2539863/samy-worm-creator-hopes-to-be-online-again.html#:~:text=Samy%27s%20worm%20wasn%27t%20malicious%2C%20but,on%20their
iPhone… app XSS in Facebook Mail
https://hackerone.com/reports/390344
Facebook vulnerable to critical XSS, could lead to malware attacks
https://www.zdnet.com/article/facebook-vulnerable-to-critical-xss-could-lead-to-malware-attacks/#:~:text=Show%20Comments%20Facebook%2C%20the%20second,the%20injection%20and%20execution%20of
XSS Attack: 3 Real Life Attacks and Code Examples
https://brightsec.com/blog/xss-attack/
The Hacker News – XSS Vulnerability in Facebook Translations
https://thehackernews.com/2011/03/xss-vulnerability-in-facebook.html
Tweetdeck
What is XSS, The Vulnerability That Took Down TweekDeck?
https://readwrite.com/xss-explained-tweetdeck-vulnerability/
TweetDeck Temporarily Shit Down Over XSS Bug
https://www.pcmag.com/news/tweetdeck-temporarily-shut-down-over-xss-bug#:~:text=The%20attack%20redirected%20users%20to,in%20May%202011%20for
Twitter Fixes TweetDeck XSS Security Vulnerability
https://www.securityweek.com/twitter-fixes-tweetdeck-xss-security-vulnerability/#:~:text=%E2%80%9COne%20of%20the%20most%20common,site%20scripting%20issue
