Tips for safeguarding location.href from cross site scripting in javascript

Within my JavaScript function, I am utilizing

location.href = "../Floder1/result.jsp";
. While it functions correctly, when I ran the fortify tool, it flagged a potential Cross-site Scripting vulnerability
that could lead to malicious code execution in the browser.
How can I secure this against cross site scripting attacks? Thank you for your valuable assistance.

Answer №1

To ensure compatibility, this code is optimized for use in Firefox specifically as the Proxy functionality may not be available in all browsers.

One approach you can take is to substitute the original location object with a proxied version that includes added logic to verify allowed values for location. While this method does not fully safeguard against direct alterations to the original object (location), utilizing only the proxied object in your code should provide sufficient protection.

// assuming we are on example.com
let validator = {
   set: function(obj, prop, val) {
     if (prop === 'href') {
       if(typeof val !== 'string'){
         throw new TypeError('href must be a string.');
       }
       if (!val.startsWith("https://example.com/")) {
         throw new Error('XSS');
       }
     }
    obj[prop] = val;
    return true;
   },
   get: function(obj, prop){
    return prop in obj?
        obj[prop] :
        null;
   }
};
let proxiedLocation = new Proxy(location, validator);
console.log(proxiedLocation.href);// functions the same as location.href
proxiedLocation.href = "https://example.com/page1";// works properly
proxiedLocation.href = "https://example.net/page1";// triggers an exception

Answer №2

Cross-site Scripting, also known as XSS, is a security vulnerability that occurs when a user is able to input data into a webpage or access session information.

HOW TO PROTECT

It is crucial to never allow code injection on your webpage. Make sure to validate any form inputs on the server side before displaying them on the page.

Avoid allowing changes to the page content through the href attribute. Always escape the data properly before using it in your code.

For more information on protecting against XSS, check out this answer on location.href:

SAMPLE:

Imagine you have an iframe that changes based on a GET variable:

sample.tld/index.jsp?iframe=none.jsp

An attacker could potentially inject a malicious script into your iframe. To prevent this, always use escape characters to sanitize the data.

// Sanitize the input on the server and ensure the GET variable for the iframe remains secure.

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