Two months ago, I found a reflected XSS in a startup’s contact form. “Big deal,” I thought — until I turned it into a full account takeover chain that paid $5,000. Today, I’m breaking down my entire XSS playbook — from basic alerts to stealing sessions and bypassing WAFs.

free link

Most tutorials tell you to “test all inputs.” That’s lazy. Here’s where I consistently find XSS in 2024:

1. Forgotten Inputs Everyone Misses

• HTTP Headers (Yes, really)
• Try:

GET / HTTP/1.1
Host: target.com
User-Agent: <script>alert(1)</script>
Referer: javascript:alert(1)

• Real Find: A fintech app reflected the User-Agent in their admin panel. $2,500.
• PDF Generators
• Upload a PDF with:

/Title ("><script>alert(1)</script>)

• Why It Works: Many sites parse PDF metadata unsafely.

2. The API Blindspot

APIs that return user-controlled data in JSON responses often get overlooked:

GET…