One new, innovative technique that has been gaining popularity among ethical hackers and bounty hunters is the use of XSS CryptoCurrency Miner. XSS Cryptocurrency Miner method involves utilizing a tool such as CoinHive to turn a traditional XSS exploit into a means for mining cryptocurrency, adding an additional layer of value to the traditional XSS report. However, it’s important to keep in mind that this approach carries a higher risk than traditional XSS attacks, as CoinHive and other crypto-mining scripts have been known to be detected by antivirus software, which can lead to the blocking of the website or warning messages for the website’s customers or users. This can ultimately have a negative impact on the business’s reputation and financials. As a result, it is important for organizations to stay updated on the latest trends and techniques in XSS crypto miner attacks, and implement comprehensive security strategies that include regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing, to detect and prevent these types of attacks.
What is XSS?
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) is a type of web vulnerability that allows an attacker to inject malicious code, often in the form of a script, into a website viewed by other users. This can be achieved by injecting the malicious script into a webpage via a form input, a URL parameter, or even a cookie. The script is then executed by the browser of any user who views the affected page, giving the attacker the ability to steal sensitive information such as login credentials, access sensitive data, or even perform actions on behalf of the unsuspecting user.
The malicious script can be written in various languages, such as JavaScript, and can bypass the same-origin policy enforced by the browser, allowing the attacker to steal sensitive data from any domain that the victim is authenticated on.
There are two main types of XSS attacks: stored and reflected. Stored XSS occurs when the malicious script is permanently stored on the affected website, and is executed every time the affected page is viewed. Reflected XSS occurs when the malicious script is included in a single request, and is reflected back to the user in the HTTP response.
XSS attacks are a serious threat to web security and can lead to a compromise of sensitive information, financial loss, and damage to a company’s reputation. To protect against XSS, web developers should implement input validation, sanitization and encoding techniques, use of Content Security Policy (CSP), and keep their web application up-to-date with the latest security patches. Additionally, organizations should conduct regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to detect and prevent XSS attacks.
Here is the current detection for the CoinHive Crypto miner by VirusTotal :
Conclusion
In conclusion, XSS Crypto Miner is an emerging threat that leverages the impact of XSS vulnerability by allowing attackers to inject crypto-mining script into vulnerable website, thus enabling them to mine cryptocurrency using the victim’s browser and computer resources. This type of attack could have a severe impact on the affected website, especially on the website’s performance, user experience and ultimately to the revenue. It’s important to understand the potential impact and how XSS Crypto Miner attack is executed, and how it can be prevented. As with all security vulnerabilities, organizations should implement a comprehensive security strategy that includes regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to detect and prevent XSS Crypto Miner attacks. Additionally, it’s important to use best practices such as input validation, sanitization, and encoding to secure the web applications, and use of Content Security Policy (CSP) to block malicious script.