Client-side XPath injection (reflected DOM-based)
Summary: PortSwigger describes reflected DOM-based XPath injection, which occurs when data from a request is echoed into the immediate response in a part of the DOM that a client-side script then processes unsafely. When a script incorporates that controllable data into an XPath query, an attacker can construct a URL that, if visited by another user, executes an arbitrary XPath query and causes different data to be retrieved and processed.
What's compelling: The payload travels in a URL, so a single crafted link can make another user's browser run an unintended XPath query and subvert the application's logic on their behalf. PortSwigger also notes its static analysis can flag false positives, so a finding without dynamic evidence needs manual code review before you treat it as exploitable.
Read the original at PortSwigger Research ↗
- Topics
- Vulnerabilities & Patching
- Related
- Attackers Exploit UnrealIRCd Flaw That Enables Server-Level Command Injection Cyber Risks · Nov 14, 2026U.S. CISA adds Check Point and UnrealIRCd flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog Cyber Risks · Nov 14, 2026PostgreSQL Patches 52 Flaws, Including 22-Year-Old Bug Enabling Authenticated RCE Cyber Risks · Nov 13, 2026