XSA
Encyclopedia
In computer science, XSA (better known as Cross-Server Attack) is a networking security intrusion method which allows for a malicious client to compromise security over a website or service on a server by using implemented services on the server that may not be secure.
In general, XSA is demonstrated against websites, yet sometimes it is used in conjunction with other services located on the same server.
Most website hosting companies that offer hosting for large or even little amounts of separate websites are vulnerable to this method of attack, because of the amount of access services such as PHP
and the webserver itself give to a client that allows the client to access other website configurations, files, passwords and the like.
. While he had not invented or pioneered this method of intrusion, he coined it as a shorter term to describe the act of performing XSA.
It was then used further in the community and now supports for most of the methods and subsets of the method that give both hackers and malicious clients the terminology to attack websites using software that is located on the same server.
In general, XSA is demonstrated against websites, yet sometimes it is used in conjunction with other services located on the same server.
Basics
XSA is a method that allows for a malicious client to use services that a remote server implements in order to attack another service on the same server or network.Most website hosting companies that offer hosting for large or even little amounts of separate websites are vulnerable to this method of attack, because of the amount of access services such as PHP
PHP
PHP is a general-purpose server-side scripting language originally designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages. For this purpose, PHP code is embedded into the HTML source document and interpreted by a web server with a PHP processor module, which generates the web page document...
and the webserver itself give to a client that allows the client to access other website configurations, files, passwords and the like.
History
The term 'XSA' was first coined by DeadlyData, a prominent hacker during the early 2000s, over the voice communications software TeamSpeakTeamSpeak
TeamSpeak is a proprietary Voice over IP software that allows users to speak on a chat channel with other users, much like a telephone conference call. A TeamSpeak user will often wear a headset with an integrated microphone...
. While he had not invented or pioneered this method of intrusion, he coined it as a shorter term to describe the act of performing XSA.
It was then used further in the community and now supports for most of the methods and subsets of the method that give both hackers and malicious clients the terminology to attack websites using software that is located on the same server.
See also
- SQL injectionSQL injectionA SQL injection is often used to attack the security of a website by inputting SQL statements in a web form to get a badly designed website in order to dump the database content to the attacker. SQL injection is a code injection technique that exploits a security vulnerability in a website's software...
- Cross-site scriptingCross-site scriptingCross-site scripting is a type of computer security vulnerability typically found in Web applications that enables attackers to inject client-side script into Web pages viewed by other users. A cross-site scripting vulnerability may be used by attackers to bypass access controls such as the same...
(XSS) - Cross-site request forgeryCross-site request forgeryCross-site request forgery, also known as a one-click attack or session riding and abbreviated as CSRF or XSRF, is a type of malicious exploit of a website whereby unauthorized commands are transmitted from a user that the website trusts...
(CSRF) - Buffer overflowBuffer overflowIn computer security and programming, a buffer overflow, or buffer overrun, is an anomaly where a program, while writing data to a buffer, overruns the buffer's boundary and overwrites adjacent memory. This is a special case of violation of memory safety....