This Paperback Book item from Syngress was reviewed on 4-Nov-2008.
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1) Paperback Book XSS Exploits: Cross Site Scripting Attacks and Defense by Syngress. XSS Attacks earns 4 stars for being the first book devoted to Cross Site Scripting and for rounding up multiple experts on the topic. The authors are synonymous with attacking Web applications and regularly share their vast expertise via their blogs and tools. However, XSS Attacks suffers the same problems found whenever Syngress rushes a book to print -- nonexistent editing and uneven content. I found XSS Attacks to be highly enlightening, but I expect a few other books on the topic arriving later this year could be better.
First, as Tadaka mentioned, ch 3 is the best written part of the book. In fact, the author of ch 3 should have written the entire book. There is a difference between an author of a tool, an author of a blog, and an author of a book. The author of ch 3 clearly knows how to make a clear argument over the course of a long stretch of pages (over 90) and carry the reader. Lucky for non-book-buyers, Syngress posted ch 3 for free on their Web site. You´ll get a great foundation on XSS, and learn about CSRF and backdooring Flash and Quicktime.
In terms of readability, ch 2 wasn´t bad. I liked trying out various Firefox extensions and the author´s examples were good. I think ch 1 should be completely dropped. It mentions terms not defined until ch 2. The language is exceptionally rough, indicating zero editing was done. The DNS pinning examples in ch 5 were confusing; it doesn´t help novice readers to discuss [...] and then use [...]. (I think that´s an error.) I really didn´t get as much from the book past ch 3 as I did from ch 3.
The major take-away from XSS Attacks is that one should never trust clients. Furthermore, far too many vulnerable capabilities exist in applications most people would never dream of fearing, like those that render .pdf or .swf. I really liked the point that browsers constantly interpret and "fix" broken HTML, sometimes to the detriment of the security world. I also liked reading how users can be duped by attacks against the integrity of data, such as adding or removing details of Web sites.
Right now, if you want to learn more about recent XSS attacks in printed form, this book is your main option. Last year I favorably reviewed Lance James´ book, Phishing Exposed, which includes some of these techniques. Later this year one of the other book reviewers, Dafydd Stuttard, should be publishing The Web Application Hackers Handbook: Discovering and Exploiting Security Flaws. Syngress claims to be publishing Web Application Vulnerabilities: Detect, Exploit, Prevent by Steven Palmer in the fall. Hacking Exposed Web 2.0 by Himanshu Dwivedi is another option, but I find his security books to be poorly written. I highly recommend visiting the authors´ blogs, since they cover a lot of the information in XSS Attacks.¤ 2) Paperback Book XSS Exploits: Cross Site Scripting Attacks and Defense by Syngress. This book is a comprehensive analysis of XSS and related vulnerabilities, and covers everything from a beginner´s introduction to XSS through to advanced exploitation and the latest attack techniques.
Overall, the book is well-organised, technically accurate, and full of pertinent examples and code extracts to illustrate the different vulnerabilities and attacks being described. There are plenty of tricks that will benefit even experienced web app hackers, including a wealth of filter bypasses, and coverage of offbeat topics such as injection into style sheets and use of non-standard content encoding.
There is strong coverage of recent research including JavaScript-based port scanning, history stealing and JSON hijacking, as you would expect given that these techniques were largely poineered by some of the authors. All of their explanations are clear and precise, and contain sufficient detail for you to fully understand each issue, and put together working code to exploit it. The book also includes the use of non-standard vehicles such as Flash and PDF for delivery of XSS attacks.
Here and there, the book displays the effects of multiple authorship, notably in the discussion of the best tools for finding XSS flaws. I know that some of the authors have rather opposing views on that question, but it is always good to get different people´s perspectives on the tools they find most useful. There are also a few typos and editorial glitches, but that is the price you pay for being quick to market, as they evidently are.
Overall, this is a great book that will benefit a wide range of people, from novices to seasoned hackers. It is fun to read, with plenty of lighter moments punctuating the technical meat. Nothing else currently available is hitting this target - get it while it´s hot!¤ 3) Paperback Book XSS Exploits: Cross Site Scripting Attacks and Defense by Syngress. I´ve been through most of this book and found it to be an excellent source of information on cross site scripting (XSS). It starts off with a good introduction of the subject, covers the tools to help you evaluate your site for issues with XSS, and then goes through XSS non-stop to the end. I really liked the discussion of XSS theory in chapter 3. Instead of just covering how to look up and try different exploit methods, the authors spend a lot of time trying to convey the knowledge needed to really understand how XSS takes advantage of web apps and your browser´s willingness to try and render as much as possible. This is extremely helpful when trying to craft your defenses, since you will have a more complete understanding of the problem.
The book is a lot to absorb and I´m still wrapping my mind around it, but it has really given me a new perspective on the scope of the issue. The authors are the experts on XSS and they´ve done a really good job on the book. If you want to get information straight from the guys doing the research on XSS, then this is the book you want.¤ 4) Paperback Book XSS Exploits: Cross Site Scripting Attacks and Defense by Syngress. Excellent book with an overall superb overview on how XSS attacks are delivered. Covered by known blackhat speakers, the content goes from the simple definition of XSS to advanced man in the middle hijacks. Some minor typos in the code and text exist, but on the overall a truly outstanding [...].
¤ 5) Paperback Book XSS Exploits: Cross Site Scripting Attacks and Defense by Syngress. Cross Site Scripting Attacks starts by defining the terms and laying out the ground work. It assumes that the reader is familiar with basic web programming (HTML) and JavaScript. First it discusses the concepts, methodology, and technology that makes XSS a valid concern. It then moves into the various types of XSS attacks, how they are implemented, used, and abused. After XSS is thoroughly explored, the next part provides examples of XSS malware and demonstrates real cases where XSS is a dangerous risk that exposes internet users to remote access, sensitive data theft, and monetary losses. Finally, the book closes by examining the ways developers can avoid XSS vulnerabilities in their web applications, and how users can avoid becoming a victim. The audience is web developers, security practitioners, and managers.
*XSS Vulnerabilities exist in 8 out of 10 Web sites
*The authors of this book are the undisputed industry leading authorities
*Contains independent, bleeding edge research, code listings and exploits that can not be found anywhere else¤ Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 2-Dec-2008, 15974915439781597491549, 900-190-390-780-660-431-8 
XSS Exploits: Cross Site Scripting Attacks and Defense, Book, Image © Syngress
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