XS-Search/XS-Leaks

👉 Overview

👀 What ?

XS-Search and XS-Leaks are a type of cross-site information leakage vulnerabilities. They exploit the way web browsers process cross-origin requests to extract sensitive information from other websites.

🧐 Why ?

In the era of data-driven businesses, protecting sensitive information is paramount. XS-Search and XS-Leaks pose a threat as they can leak sensitive information, leading to various security issues like identity theft, data breaches, and financial loss.

⛏️ How ?

To mitigate the risks of XS-Search and XS-Leaks, implement strict Content Security Policies (CSP), use the 'SameSite' attribute for cookies, and use the 'Cross-Origin-Resource-Policy' header to control which origins can load a resource.

⏳ When ?

The exploitation of XS-Search and XS-Leaks began to gain attention around 2018, with the rise of web-based applications.

⚙️ Technical Explanations

XS-Search and XS-Leaks exploit the web browser's mechanisms for processing cross-origin requests. By initiating a cross-origin request, an attacker can infer sensitive information based on the timing, size, or other indirect signals of the server's responses. For instance, an attacker can use timing attacks to infer whether a user is logged into a certain website, or use response size to guess the user's search history on a search engine.