Which type of attack involves injecting malicious JavaScript into a text area?

The attack type that involves injecting malicious JavaScript into a text area is known as cross-site scripting, often abbreviated as XSS. This vulnerability allows attackers to include their own scripts in web pages viewed by users, which can lead to various harmful activities such as stealing session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, or displaying misleading information.

In the context of web applications, when input fields, such as text areas, do not properly sanitize user input, an attacker can exploit this by inserting JavaScript code that the application will execute. This highlights the importance of validating and encoding input to prevent such script injections.

While the term "XSS attack" can also be used to refer to cross-site scripting, it is essentially a descriptive phrase rather than a distinct type of attack. The name cross-site scripting specifically conveys the essence of the vulnerability, emphasizing the cross-site aspect of the attack, where a malicious script from one source is executed in the context of a user's session on a trusted site.

The other choices pertain to different attack vectors: SQL injection focuses on manipulating database queries, session hijacking targets user sessions for unauthorized access, and the abbreviation XSS refers specifically to cross-site scripting but does not denote a different type of attack. Therefore, the correct