How to prevent Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks in web applications

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks can be mitigated and prevented in web applications by following these best practices:

• Input Validation: Validate and sanitize all user inputs on both client-side and server-side to prevent malicious scripts from being executed.
• Encoding: Encode user-generated content before displaying it on the web page to prevent XSS attacks.
• Content Security Policy (CSP): Implement CSP headers to restrict the sources from which content can be loaded, reducing the risk of XSS attacks.
• HTTPOnly and Secure flags: Utilize HTTPOnly and Secure flags for cookies to prevent malicious scripts from accessing sensitive cookie data.
• Regular Security Audits: Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing to identify and address any vulnerabilities that could be exploited by XSS attacks.

By following these measures, web applications can enhance their security and protect against Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks.