SQL Injection

SQL injection is considered as a type of web application security vulnerability wherein attacker has the ability of submitting database SQL command which is being executed by the web application therefore exposing the back-end database. A certain attack of SQL injection could occur once a web application uses user-supplied data having no proper validation or encoding being part of the query or command. Due to the fact that SQL injection vulnerability might possible affect any web application or any website which makes use of the SQL-based database, the said vulnerability is one of the most prevalent, most dangerous and oldest of web application vulnerabilities.

Through leveraging the SQL injection vulnerability, within the right circumstances, a certain attacker could use it in order to bypass a certain web application in terms of authentication as well as authorization mechanisms and so retrieve the contents within the entire database. SQL injection might as well be used in order to modify, add or delete records into a certain database therefore affecting the integrity of the data. Into such extent, SQL injection might provide attacker with an unauthorized access into sensitive data such as personally identifiable information, intellectual property, trade secrets, customer data and also other sensitive information.

So how does SQL injection works?

In order for the malicious SQL queries to run against the database server, a certain attacker should find first an input into the web application which is included inside the SQL query. And in order for a certain SQL injection attack to happen, there is a need for the vulnerable site to include user input directly within the SQL statement. A certain attacker could now insert the payload which will be included being part of the SQL query and so run against the server of the database.

In addition, SQL is considered as a programming language which is designed in order to manage data being stored in RDBMS and so SQL could be used in accessing, modifying and also deleting data. In more specific cases, RDBMS could as well run commands into the operating system coming from a SQL statement.

So what’s the worst in for an attacker to do with the SQL?

Consider the following:

• A certain attacker might use SQL injection in bypassing authentication or might even impersonate some specific users.
• One of the primary functions of SQL is to choose data based on the output and query. Certain SQL injection vulnerability might allow complete disclosure of the data that are present in the database server.
• An attacker might use SQL injection in altering data being stored in a database. Altering such data might affect its integrity and might cause repudiation issues as well.
• SQL is as well used in deleting records coming from the database. Though there is an appropriate backup strategy still deletion of data might affect the vulnerability up until the database is being restored.

Those are among the worst things that an attacker could do along with the use of SQL. So having the best knowledge about the said vulnerability might avoid the things mentioned above.