As SAP environments become increasingly interconnected and accessible via web interfaces, the risk of web-based attacks such as Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) grows significantly. XSS attacks exploit vulnerabilities in web applications by injecting malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users, potentially compromising sensitive data and user sessions. SAP Enterprise Threat Detection (ETD) offers a vital layer of defense by detecting suspicious activities indicative of XSS attacks within SAP landscapes.
XSS attacks typically target SAP’s web applications, including SAP Fiori Launchpad, SAP NetWeaver Portal, or custom web applications built on SAP technology stacks. The attack allows an adversary to execute malicious scripts in the context of a user’s browser session, leading to:
SAP ETD ingests logs from web servers, application servers, and SAP modules capturing HTTP requests, parameters, and error messages. ETD analyzes these logs for unusual patterns, such as suspicious input strings containing script tags or encoded payloads commonly used in XSS attacks.
Using behavioral analytics, ETD identifies deviations in user input patterns, such as sudden injection of HTML or JavaScript code in form fields or URLs, which may indicate an ongoing XSS attempt.
ETD correlates alerts from different SAP components — for example, a suspicious HTTP request combined with unusual system errors or failed validations — to increase confidence in detecting real XSS threats versus benign anomalies.
ETD supports creating custom detection rules targeting common XSS attack vectors, such as:
<script>, onerror=, javascript: in inputs%3Cscript%3EUpon detecting a potential XSS attack, SAP security teams should:
Cross-Site Scripting attacks pose a serious threat to SAP web applications and user data. SAP Enterprise Threat Detection provides robust capabilities to detect, analyze, and respond to XSS attempts by monitoring web traffic, analyzing input patterns, and correlating suspicious events across the SAP landscape.
By proactively leveraging SAP ETD for XSS detection, organizations can strengthen their SAP security posture, protect sensitive data, and ensure a safer user experience within SAP’s growing web-based ecosystem.