Is it possible to sanitize user input without relying on !important?

Utilizing wp_editor, I have implemented a front-end form on my WordPress website for users to post without accessing the admin section. Although it is functional, there is a concern that users may copy and paste content with inline styles that could disrupt the site's design.

To address this issue, I have enclosed all posts in a div with the class clean, which removes any potential inline styles. See the SCSS code snippet below:

.clean {
            /*Prevents inline styles from overriding when pasted*/
            * {
                font-color: inherit !important;
                font-family: inherit !important;
                font-size: inherit !important;              
                font-weight: inherit !important;                
                line-height: inherit !important;
            }
            b, strong {
                font-weight: bold !important;
            }
            p {
                margin:0;
                padding: .5em 0 !important;
                -webkit-margin-before:0;
                -webkit-margin-after:0;             
            }
        }

Despite using !important in the CSS, which is typically discouraged, I am seeking an alternative approach. Is it possible to achieve this in pure CSS?

Answer №1

It's crucial to prioritize security measures when dealing with user-submitted content. Ensuring that any HTML input is sanitized before being stored in your database can help prevent potential risks.

Take, for example, the possibility of someone inserting malicious code like this:

<script>alert('hello world!')</script>

While harmless on its own, an attacker could use this as a gateway to inject harmful elements onto your website.

In addition to the mentioned scenario, the "attacker" could also employ <style></style> tags to manipulate elements within your page.

To counter such threats, thorough sanitization techniques should be implemented – either by stripping out all markup or using an advanced parser to filter unwanted components. It's best practice not to allow public users to directly input HTML onto your platform.

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