Can XSS vulnerability in WordPress give hackers website control?

XSS – also known as cross-site scripting is a security threat mostly found in web applications and allows hackers to inject malicious content in disguise of a trusted entity. According to a WordPress development company, the XSS threat might even play with user-website interaction by allowing the hackers to disguise as legitimate users and upload malicious content that could steal confidential information.

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Why are WordPress websites targeted by hackers?

Many websites operating on the net are attacked and hacked by hackers and among them is, a WordPress website that is quite vulnerable to hacking attempts. The WordPress experts of the Best WordPress development company in Kolkata say – WordPress websites are generally targeted by hackers as the websites are developed on the WordPress platform.

Types of XSS attacks –

· Stored XSS: When a visitor opens a website, the database is created and stored which will be sent to other visitors.

· Reflected XSS: It involves the transfer of malicious code by the visitor unknowingly and with a single click by the visitor, the code will be transferred.

·   Dom-based XSS: In this type of attack the malicious code is not sent directly, but is executed within the browser and by the browser directly.

Hackers are on the prowl and search for new ways to find out websites that are less secure and can be breached easily. Cross-scripting or XSS attacks on a WordPress website includes the injection of malicious script into a website directly. Generally, hackers send malicious codes like browser side-script to the end-user without even giving a hint of it. The main motive of the attack is to take hold of a cookie or session data and even rewrite HTML on a page as well.

Is it possible to prevent an XSS attack on a WordPress website?

Yes, it can be, as stated by the website developers of a WordPress development company, incorporating a strong sanitizing and validating system can help prevent XSS attacks. Here is more on it –

·  Constant updating: The WordPress files need to be constantly updated and it is the fastest and easiest way to protect the site from any form of XSS vulnerabilities.

· Input validation: The input data on a website should be validated before being stored or sent to the server. Data can only be accepted from validated and trusted users.

· Data sanitization: Sanitizing data input is the need of the day and is highly recommended on websites that allow or support HTML markup. It should also be checked that the data does no harm to the users and the database while cleaning malicious data of a harmful markup.

·  Use of web application firewall: Keeping the firewall on can be safe and it acts as a security guard for the website. Firewalls are best at filtering malicious traffic and can block XSS, SQLi, CSRF, bad bots, and other cyber-attacks as well.  

Stored XSS vulnerability requires a user with level access to help get the required permission to transfer a malicious XSS script. So, added protection is needed to acquire contributor-level login. So, it would be best to not get intimidated by the vulnerabilities and adequate security measures should be incorporated to make a WordPress website safe and secure.