Cross-site scripting

Cross-site scripting (sometimes shortened as XSS) is like giving your computer a virus. You know how your mom tells you not to open emails from strangers? Well, you definitely shouldn't open websites from strangers either.

See, when you visit a website, your computer talks to that website and asks it to show you things. And sometimes, bad guys can sneak some "bad code" into a website you're visiting. This "bad code" can then run on your computer and do bad things like steal your information, track what you're doing online, or even take over control of your computer.

Sometimes, this "bad code" can sneak into a website's search box, or even in the comments section of a blog or social media post. So even if the website itself is safe, someone else could have left a "bad code" message that could harm you.

That's what cross-site scripting is: when someone tricks a website into showing you "bad code" that can harm your computer.

So, what can you do about it? Well, the best thing to do is to be careful about what websites you visit, just like you should be careful about who you talk to online! And if you ever see a warning from your computer, telling you that it's found "bad code" on a website you're visiting, make sure to close that website right away and stay away from it.