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A reliable current list of famous websites vulnerable to cross-site scripting (XSS) cannot be verified from the available authoritative disclosures. A vulnerability report usually applies to a particular product and version at a particular time; it does not establish that a public website remains exposed today. Here’s how to interpret those records, what XSS can do, and how developers can prevent it.
Which famous websites are vulnerable to XSS?
There is not enough current, scope-specific evidence to name 20 famous websites as vulnerable to XSS. Naming sites from old vulnerability reports would risk presenting a fixed or historical flaw as a current weakness. A disclosure needs to be read in context: which software was affected, which versions and conditions applied, when it was reported, and whether a fix was issued.
For example, CISA’s September 21, 2023 advisory concerned Real Time Automation 460 Series versions before 8.9.8 and recommended updating to corrected versions. That advisory is about an industrial software product, not evidence that a famous public website is vulnerable today. Read the CISA advisory.
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CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog also records CVE-2023-43770 as a persistent XSS vulnerability in Roundcube Webmail. That entry documents a vulnerability; it does not show that every Roundcube installation—or any particular website using it—still runs an affected version. Check the CISA KEV catalog.
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What is cross-site scripting (XSS)?
XSS is a web application flaw that can cause untrusted content to execute in a page’s context. It can arise when an application handles user-controlled input unsafely and places it into a page without suitable protections for that location. OWASP’s guidance covers the different contexts and defenses involved. OWASP Cross Site Scripting Prevention Cheat Sheet.
How can XSS affect users?
The impact depends on the application, the affected page, the user’s permissions, and the attack conditions. OWASP lists possible consequences including account impersonation, observing user behavior, loading external content, and stealing sensitive data. These are possible outcomes, not guaranteed effects of every XSS flaw.
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How should you evaluate an XSS disclosure?
Before concluding that a website is vulnerable, check whether the disclosure actually identifies that website and whether the affected software is present in its current deployment. A product name, old CVE, or vulnerability-catalog entry alone cannot establish present-day exposure.
- Scope: Identify the named product or service and the affected component.
- Versions: Compare the affected version range with the version actually deployed; look for a fixed release or mitigation.
- Conditions: Check what user action or configuration triggers the flaw and what type of XSS is described.
- Date and status: Read the disclosure date and remediation guidance. An old record documents a past finding, not necessarily a current condition.
- Website-specific evidence: Require an authoritative, current disclosure that ties the affected product and version to the website before calling that site vulnerable.
OWASP’s Top 10 project page identifies the 2025 OWASP Top 10 as its most current released edition. It provides general web-application security context, not evidence that a specific site has an XSS flaw.
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How do developers prevent XSS?
OWASP recommends several defenses that work together. The right choice depends on how data is used: text, an HTML attribute, a URL, or another page context. Rely on safe defaults, and avoid treating one control as a substitute for the others.
- Use framework protections: Prefer framework templating and automatic escaping. Do not bypass escaping with unsafe escape hatches, and keep components up to date.
- Encode output for its context: Apply the appropriate output encoding wherever untrusted data enters a page. Encoding suitable for one context may not be safe in another.
- Sanitize allowed HTML: If users may submit formatted HTML, sanitize it with a maintained sanitizer. OWASP recommends DOMPurify for this purpose.
- Choose safe DOM sinks: For plain text, use
textContentrather than inserting it withinnerHTML. - Use Content Security Policy as an added layer: CSP can limit the impact of some attacks, but OWASP advises against using it as the primary XSS defense.
Cookie attributes and other browser controls can also help limit consequences, but they do not remove the underlying injection flaw. The 2025 OWASP Top 10 is useful for broad security context, while prevention decisions should follow the specific application’s data flows and OWASP’s XSS guidance.
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