← Back
Offensive security assessments

SQL Injection

The impact of a successful SQL Injection attack can be severe, affecting the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of data. Some of the most critical consequences include:

Why it matters

The impact of a successful SQL Injection attack can be severe, affecting the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of data. Some of the most critical consequences include: - Unauthorized access to sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details. - Data theft and unauthorized modification of database records. - Loss of data integrity, leading to corrupted data. - System downtime, affecting service availability. - Financial losses and damage to organizational reputation.

How we test it

Our operators follow a structured checklist for this topic, adapted to your API surface and authentication model.

Testing approach

  • Input validation and sanitization: Ensure that all user inputs are properly validated and sanitized to prevent malicious characters.
  • Use of prepared statements: Prepared statements with parameterized queries prevent SQLi by separating data from code.
  • Database privilege management: Restrict database access rights and ensure least privilege is applied to reduce the impact of a compromise.
  • Regular security audits and security assessment: Regularly scan and test applications for SQL injection vulnerabilities.
  • Use of Web Application Firewalls (WAFs): A WAF can help detect and block malicious SQL injection attempts.
  • Make sure login.txt is properly formatted (HTTP request)
  • Use --flush-session to avoid cached data
  • Try simple injections manually before automation

What we look for

  • Input validation and sanitization: Ensure that all user inputs are properly validated and sanitized to prevent malicious characters.
  • Use of prepared statements: Prepared statements with parameterized queries prevent SQLi by separating data from code.
  • Database privilege management: Restrict database access rights and ensure least privilege is applied to reduce the impact of a compromise.
  • Regular security audits and security assessment: Regularly scan and test applications for SQL injection vulnerabilities.
  • Use of Web Application Firewalls (WAFs): A WAF can help detect and block malicious SQL injection attempts.
  • Make sure login.txt is properly formatted (HTTP request)
  • Use --flush-session to avoid cached data
  • Try simple injections manually before automation

Sub-topics

TopicSummary
Second Order SQL Injection (SO-SQLi) GuideSecond Order SQL Injection (SO-SQLi) occurs when a malicious SQL payload is submitted and stored (e.g., in a database), and is executed later when the application reuses that data in an unsafe SQL query.

Related topics

TopicSummary
Application Logic FlawsApplication Logic Flaws occur when a web application's normal logic or workflow can be manipulated, allowing attackers to bypass security measures or misuse functionality in unexpected ways.
Arbitrary Cookie FlagsCookies that hold session or sensitive data are set without the proper security flags (Secure, HttpOnly, SameSite). This lets cookies travel over cleartext, be read by JavaScript, or be sent on cross-site requests, enabling theft and CSRF.
Back Button AttackAfter a user logs out (or on a shared device), pressing the browser Back button or reopening cached pages reveals sensitive data or restores an authenticated view. This happens when the server lets responses be cached and does not fully invalidate the session.
Broken AuthenticationFlaws in how an application confirms a user's identity, letting attackers compromise passwords, tokens, or sessions and assume other users' identities. It is one of the highest-impact web risks (OWASP Top 10: Identification and Authentication Failures).
Brute Force AttackAn attacker systematically tries many credentials, tokens, or values until one works. It succeeds when an endpoint lacks rate limiting, lockout, or sufficient secret entropy.
Captcha BypassA CAPTCHA is meant to block automated requests, but flawed implementation lets attackers skip or solve it programmatically. Bypassing it re-enables brute force, spam, and other automation the control was meant to stop.