This tweet discusses a sophisticated bypass chain involving bypassing a WAF protection through a sequence of exploits: Code-injection style template injection (CSTI), followed by a cross-site scripting (XSS) attack, then bypassing a Content Security Policy (CSP), and finally stealing cookies. The author notes the importance of the choice of template engine, mentioning AngularJS and Vue as examples, as the specific 'gadget' or exploit technique varies with the front-end framework and can affect the evasion of the WAF. This complex chain is presented as a textbook example of escalation from injection to full compromise, including stealing user session cookies, which can lead to account takeover. The tweet emphasizes the technical depth needed in selecting the right gadget during an attack to evade WAF measures effectively, especially when front-end JavaScript frameworks are involved.
This chain is beautiful. CSTI ? XSS ? CSP bypass ? cookie theft is textbook escalation.
Which template engine? AngularJS or something like Vue? The gadget choice makes all the difference for WAF evasion.
— Evan Klein (@EvanKlein338226) March 17, 2026