Understanding Common JavaScript Security Risks

1. What is JavaScript Security Analysis?

JavaScript is the programming language that makes websites interactive and dynamic. While it powers most of the modern web's features, it can also be used for malicious purposes if not handled carefully.

JavaScript Security Analysis is the process of scanning a website's code to find suspicious patterns, functions, and behaviors. Our tool does this through static analysis, meaning it reads the code without actually running it. This allows us to identify potential red flags safely.

2. Why is it Important?

The security of a website's JavaScript is critical for protecting its visitors. Malicious scripts often run silently in the background, completely invisible to the average user. They can perform a wide range of harmful actions from within the user's own browser.

Analyzing a site's JavaScript helps identify potential threats before they can harm a user. A website that is free of suspicious scripts is fundamentally more trustworthy and provides a safer environment for everyone.

3. How Are People Affected By Malicious Scripts?

If a website serves malicious JavaScript, visitors can be affected in several severe ways:

• Data & Password Theft: Attackers can use scripts to log every key a user presses. This is how they steal passwords, credit card numbers, and personal messages directly as they are being typed. They can also attempt to read data from the user's clipboard.

• Obfuscated Code (Hidden Malware): Attackers often hide their malicious code to make it unreadable. They use techniques like eval() or long, random-looking Base64 strings. While not always malicious, these patterns are a major red flag, as they are commonly used to disguise malware or data-skimming scripts.

• Malicious Redirects: A script can be used to secretly redirect a user to a phishing website or a page that attempts to download malware onto their computer.

• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): If a site is not secure, an attacker can inject their own malicious JavaScript onto the page. This script is then served by the trusted website to all its visitors, using the site's own authority to attack its users.