The attacker bypasses web application filtering by using alternate character encoding in order to execute a cross-site scripting (XSS) attack. The attacker may use alternate encoding schemes such as URI or Unicode character encodings. As long as the comparison between the string containing the alternate encoded character(s) and the target string is done before the input is fully normalized the comparison may fail to detect prohibited commands. Once filters are bypassed, the attack proceeds as a normal XSS attack, potentially resulting in the loss of sensitive cookies or other actions.