What is the primary purpose of encoding user input in web applications?
- To enhance the performance of the application
- To improve the user experience
- To prevent security vulnerabilities like XSS
- To simplify code implementation
The primary purpose of encoding user input is to prevent security vulnerabilities, such as Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), by ensuring that user input is treated as data, not executable code.
Which HTTP header can be used to mitigate some types of XSS attacks?
- Content-Security-Policy
- Strict-Transport-Security
- X-Content-Type-Options
- X-Frame-Options
The Content-Security-Policy (CSP) header can be used to mitigate some types of XSS attacks by defining and controlling the sources from which certain types of content can be loaded.
How do you set a response header to indicate the content should be downloaded as a file?
- response.setHeader("Content-Disposition", "attachment; filename=example.txt");
- response.setHeader("Content-Encoding", "gzip");
- response.setHeader("Content-Transfer-Encoding", "binary");
- response.setHeader("Content-Type", "application/octet-stream");
To indicate that the content should be downloaded as a file, you can use the response.setHeader("Content-Disposition", "attachment; filename=example.txt"); method.
In the context of XSS prevention, what does the acronym CSP stand for?
- Content-Security-Policy
- Content-Security-Protocol
- Cookie-Security-Protocol
- Cross-Site Policy
In the context of XSS prevention, CSP stands for Content-Security-Policy. It is a security header that helps prevent XSS attacks by specifying which content can be executed on a web page.
Which JavaScript framework automatically escapes output to prevent XSS attacks?
- AngularJS
- React
- Vue.js
- jQuery
AngularJS automatically escapes output to prevent XSS attacks by default, helping developers build more secure web applications.
How does a Content Security Policy (CSP) help in preventing XSS attacks?
- It allows only inline scripts
- It encrypts the communication
- It filters HTTP headers
- It restricts the sources of content
A Content Security Policy (CSP) helps prevent XSS attacks by restricting the sources of content, reducing the risk of malicious script execution from unauthorized sources.
To maintain a separation of concerns, servlets in MVC should not directly manipulate the __________.
- Controller
- Database
- Model
- View
To maintain a separation of concerns, servlets in MVC should not directly manipulate the Controller.
What is the significance of using HttpOnly cookies in the context of XSS prevention?
- They are encrypted during transmission
- They can only be accessed via HTTP
- They cannot be accessed by JavaScript
- They have a longer expiration time
HttpOnly cookies cannot be accessed by JavaScript, making them more secure against XSS attacks as malicious scripts won't have access to sensitive cookie information.
What is the key difference between Stored XSS and Reflected XSS attacks?
- Reflected XSS involves non-persistent injection
- Reflected XSS targets the client-side
- Stored XSS involves persistent injection
- Stored XSS targets the server-side
Stored XSS involves the injection of malicious scripts that persist on the target, whereas Reflected XSS involves non-persistent injection and reflects the payload back to the user.
How can input sanitization be ineffective against certain advanced XSS attacks?
- By encoding payloads
- By exploiting browser vulnerabilities
- By using Content Security Policy (CSP)
- By using client-side validation
Advanced XSS attacks may bypass input sanitization through techniques like exploiting browser vulnerabilities, making sanitization ineffective in preventing such attacks.