Unauthorized Manipulation of Database Data via SQL Commands

SQL Injection (SQLi) is a significant security vulnerability that can pose a threat to web applications. This type of attack allows malicious users to manipulate database queries with malicious SQL code, potentially leading to serious consequences.

SQL Injection typically occurs when a web application improperly validates user input, allowing an attacker to inject malicious SQL code. The attacker can then retrieve, modify, or delete sensitive data, gain control over databases or servers, and potentially escalate privileges.

One common type of SQL Injection is In-band SQL Injection, where the attacker sends malicious SQL queries directly through the application interface. Error-based SQL Injection is another variant, exploiting error messages generated by the database to learn about the database structure and craft more sophisticated attacks.

Blind SQL Injection, on the other hand, does not receive error messages but infers information about the database by observing the behaviour of the application. Time-based Blind SQL Injection involves sending a query that causes a time delay, allowing the attacker to infer whether the query was true or false based on the response time. Out-of-band SQL Injection is a less common type where the attacker uses alternative channels to communicate with the database and extract sensitive information.

Preventing SQL Injection is crucial for maintaining data integrity. Input validation testing can help detect SQL injection vulnerabilities by testing inputs with special characters. Whitelist Input Validation ensures that user inputs are validated before being used in SQL queries, only allowing certain characters and patterns. Using Prepared Statements and Parameterized Queries can also prevent SQL injection by treating user inputs as data rather than part of the SQL query.

The consequences of successful SQL Injection attacks can be severe. Unauthorized access to sensitive data is a potential impact, leading to reputation damage and a loss of customer trust. Service downtime can result from SQL Injection attacks, overloading the server and causing performance degradation or system crashes. Privilege escalation is also possible, allowing attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms and gain administrative privileges.

A notable example of a SQL Injection attack occurred in 2019, when Capital One suffered a data breach due to a misconfigured web application that allowed an attacker to exploit a SQL injection vulnerability, leaking personal data of over 100 million customers.

While the search results do not provide the name of the author of a text specifically on the topic of SQL Injection, it is clear that understanding and addressing this security threat is essential for maintaining the security and integrity of web applications.