Hook What if an attacker could execute JavaScript inside your users’ browsers — using nothing more than a comment box? That’s exactly what Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) enables. Let’s break down how this actually happens in real applications. What is XSS? The flow of a typical XSS attack is illustrated above. Cross-Site Scripting happens when an application renders untrusted user input directly into a web page. Instead of displaying the input as plain text, the browser interprets it as executable JavaScript. This allows attackers to run malicious code in another user’s browser — under your application’s trusted domain. Types of XSS ✔ Stored XSS Attacker submits malicious input. Application stores it in database. Every user who loads the page executes it. Example scenario: Comment section ✔ Reflected XSS Input comes from request (URL/form) Reflected immediately Example: Search page ✔ DOM-based XSS No server involvement. Client-side JavaScript inserts attacker-controlled data into DOM.…