XSS: Cross-Site Scripting in Cybersecurity

Application Security
ByDecipherU Editorial
How is it pronounced?
ex-ess-ess

'Cross-site scripting' is also said in full.

XSS stands for Cross-Site Scripting. Cross-Site Scripting is a web vulnerability where an attacker injects malicious scripts into pages viewed by other users. XSS comes in three forms: reflected, stored, and DOM-based.

How XSS Is Used in Cybersecurity

Penetration testers probe input fields, URL parameters, and headers to find XSS injection points in web applications. Security engineers implement output encoding and Content Security Policy headers to prevent XSS. SOC analysts monitor for XSS payloads in web application firewall logs.

Read the full glossary entry: Cross-Site Scripting in Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity Roles That Work with XSS

Related Cybersecurity Acronyms

Frequently asked questions

What does XSS stand for?

XSS stands for Cross-Site Scripting. Cross-Site Scripting is a web vulnerability where an attacker injects malicious scripts into pages viewed by other users. XSS comes in three forms: reflected, stored, and DOM-based.

What is XSS used for in cybersecurity?

Penetration testers probe input fields, URL parameters, and headers to find XSS injection points in web applications. Security engineers implement output encoding and Content Security Policy headers to prevent XSS. SOC analysts monitor for XSS payloads in web application firewall logs.

Last verified: April 2026?Report an inaccuracy