What is SQL injection (SQLi), and how can it be used?
SQL injection refers to a computer attack that involves malicious code being embedded in a poorly designed application and then passing it on to the backend databases. The malicious data then produces database queries results or performs actions that shouldn’t have been performed. An SQL injection could lead to the unauthorized viewing of user lists, deletion of entire tables, and in some cases, administrative rights to a database. All of these are highly harmful to a company.
Types of SQL Injection
Attackers will be able to exfiltrate data from servers by exploiting SQL Injection vulnerabilities in different ways. There are several common ways to retrieve data, including based on false/true conditions, errors, and timing. Let’s look at some of the variations.
Boolean-Based SQL Injection
An attacker may not be able to see the error message if a SQL query fails. This makes it more difficult to gain information from vulnerable applications. There is still a way to extract the information. Sometimes, a SQL query can fail, causing parts of the website to change or disappear. In other cases, the whole site may not load. These indicators allow attackers to identify if the input parameter is secure and allow the extraction of data. An attacker can test this by inserting a condition in an SQL query. It could indicate that the page is susceptible to an SQL injection if it loads as normal. An attacker will usually try to generate a false result, so it is possible that the page does not load as expected. The condition is false. If the page doesn’t work as expected or no result is returned it could indicate that the page is susceptible to SQL injection.
Time-Based SQL Injection
Even though a vulnerability SQL query doesn’t have any visible impact on the output of a page, it might still be possible to extract data from an underlying database in certain cases. Hackers can determine this by telling the database to wait for a certain time before responding. If the page isn’t vulnerable, it will load quickly. However, if it’s vulnerable, it will take longer to load. This allows hackers to extract data even though there are no visible changes.
Error Based SQL Injection Definition
An attacker can use an error-based SQL Injection Definition vulnerability to access data such as table names, content, and other information from database errors.
Out-of-Band SQL Injection Vulnerability
Sometimes, an attacker may be able to retrieve data from a database using out-of-band techniques. These attacks involve sending data directly from the database server onto a computer-controlled by an attacker. This method could be used by attackers if the injection occurs later than expected.
SQL Injection Vulnerability: Impacts
An attacker can do many things by exploiting SQL injection to attack a website. It all depends on what privileges the web application uses to connect to the server. An attacker can exploit an SQL injection vulnerability to:
- Send files to the database server
- You can edit, add, delete, or read the content of the database.
- Access the source code files from the database server to read
This all depends on the attacker’s capabilities. However, an SQL injection vulnerability could lead to a complete server and database takeover. Limiting access is one way to avoid damage. You can have multiple databases for different purposes. For example, you could separate the database for your shop system from the support forum.
Comodo cWatch: How to Prevent SQL Injection Attacks
A web security program is a great step to prevent SQL injection vulnerabilities. Manually searching for SQL queries can be costly and you may miss out. This issue can be validated by web security software that checks every query. The web security tool hides vulnerable queries from the database to ensure that the page loads correctly even if they are detected.
You can achieve all this usingcWatchComodo has developed cWatch Web, a web security software. Get cWatch Web to get the following features. They will help you eliminate vulnerabilities in your web applications and protect them against advanced attacks such as SQL Injection, Cross-Site Scripting, and Denial-of-Service
Comodo cWatch Offers Promising Features:
- Web Application Firewall (WAF).Available with malware scanning? Vulnerability scanning Comodo WAF, which includes automatic virtual patching, hardening engines, and a robust security system, is fully managed by customers as part of the Comodo cWatch Web service. This WAF provides web applications and websites with powerful edge protection that is real-time and offers advanced security, filtering, and intrusion prevention.
- Malware Monitoring and Resolution: This feature allows companies to take a proactive approach and protect their brand and business against malware attacks and infections before they can hit the network.
- Security Information and Event Management (SIEM).SIEM is considered the brain of web security. It sends alerts to the Cyber Security Opera Center (CSOC), which helps to detect threats and mitigate them before they occur. This allows customers to respond faster to attacks. SIEM can draw on existing events and data from over 85M+ domains and 100M+ endpoints to provide advanced intelligence.
- PCI ScanningComodo cWatch provides online merchants, businesses, and other service providers who handle credit cards online with an easy and automated way to comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.
- Cyber Security Operations Center (CSOC). Comodo CSOC employs certified security analysts who can monitor, evaluate, defend and defend websites, data centers, and applications. These security analysts offer round-the-clock monitoring and remediation services.
- Secure Content Delivery Network (CDN): This network of servers distributed globally is designed to improve the performance of websites and web apps by delivering content from the closest server to the user. It has been proven to increase search engine rankings.