During a routine security review of a web application, analysts discover a vulnerability that allows attackers to inject harmful scripts into comment fields, which are then stored and executed on other users' browsers when the comments are displayed. What is the BEST mitigation strategy to address this specific security issue?
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Enforce output encoding for all user-generated content displayed on the web application.
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Install a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with default XSS protection settings.
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Rely solely on input validation for all user-generated content to prevent malicious input.
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Use a Content Security Policy (CSP) to prevent the execution of unauthorized scripts.
Using secure coding practices to include output encoding ensures that any data sent to a web browser is treated as data and not as executable code. This approach effectively prevents persistent XSS by encoding special characters into HTML entities. For example, '<' is encoded as '<' and '>' as '>'. While input validation is useful for preventing some forms of XSS, attackers can craft payloads that bypass input validation, making it a less comprehensive solution. Content Security Policies (CSPs) can offer a layer of protection against certain types of attacks, but they do not address the storage of malicious scripts. Implementing a WAF is essential for overall security, but it may not catch all XSS variations and should be used in conjunction with secure coding practices.
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What is output encoding and how does it work?
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What are some common methods for XSS attacks?
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Can you explain the relationship between CSP and XSS protection?