SQL Injection

SQL injection attacks are the number one vulnerability for Web applications on the OWASP Top 10 from 2017, with SQL Injection attacks being the most common form of injection attack. This course will cover a brief introduction to databases and SQL commands, basic information about Web applications, and basic information about SQL Injection attacks. Students will gain hands-on skills, using the mutillidae application from OWASP, the SQL Injection Vulnerability Scanner, and SQLMap, and also gain experience performing the assessment lab by RangeForce. This course is intended for individuals at an intermediate skill level but can be taken by beginner level students. Several resources are provided for students in the resources section of the course.

The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) ranks SQL Injection as the No.1 threat to web applications on their top-10 list. Taking A SQL Injection course will help you protect your data from these threats.

Understanding SQL Injection is the first step in helping protect yourself from it.

SQL Injection is a code injection used to attack data-driven applications. The attacher will put false or dangerous SQL statements in entry fields to dump all of the data in your application for his or her usage.

SQL Injections exploit a vulnerability in a data application’s software. In fact, injection attacks are the number one risk for Web applications on the Internet.

If you go through SQL injection training to learn SQL commands and basic information about Web applications it can help you protect any databases you’re overseeing and prevent SQL Injections.

Why should you take a SQL injection course?

Taking an SQL injection course will help you understand the steps an attacker could take to make your database vulnerable and what steps you can take to protect data.

Taking a SQL training can be convenient and something you take on at your own pace when you enroll in an online course. Cybrary’s online SQL injection introductory training course takes less than 90 minutes. You can finish it all in one sitting, or hit pause and come back to it a few times.

Adding this introductory course to your plethora of coding knowledge can be seen as a great asset for future employers or help you protect any of your own sites that collect data.

How does SQL injection work?

Before understanding SQL injection, it’s important to understand what Structured Query Language (SQL) does. SQL is used to request data, operate, and administer database systems such as Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, or MySQL.

SQL supports the backend of web applications. When an attacker uses SQL injection, they are inserting commands into the backend of the application or manipulating the intent of SQL commands by exploiting a weakness in the database.

Is SQL injection still a threat?

SQL injection started plaguing developers in 1998 and still causes problems today. The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) ranks SQL injection as the No.1 threat to web applications on their yearly top-10 list. To combat this threat, you should learn SQL injection techniques.

In fact, SQL injection was used leading up to the 2016 Presidential Election to compromise the personal data of 200,000 Illinois voters.

What could be the impact of a successful SQL injection?

If an attacker executes a successful SQL injection it can have huge implications. The security ramifications range from accessing protected files, disclosing private information, to enabling the further distribution of malicious code to application users.

All of your data could be lost, stolen, or deleted forever. A successful SQL injection can also result in the attacker having the power to manipulate or change website data. Think when a brand’s website gets hacked and the content is now something they don’t want customers seeing.

To put into perspective why people learn SQL injection: the average data breach in the United States costs $3.8 million.

How do you prevent SQL injection?

Taking a SQL injection course will help you understand the methods attackers use to penetrate and steal your data.

In these courses, you’ll learn that using a dynamic SQL code could leave your application vulnerable. Regularly updating your code and using a software or appliance-based firewall can help protect your site from SQL injection.

Testing for SQL injection vulnerabilities using programs such as SQLninja, SQLmap, and Havij can help show you where your database is weak, and then enable you to take the appropriate steps to protect your data.

Why would a hacker use SQL injection?

There are a few types of SQL injections, a ‘classic’ SQL injection is when an attacker can send commands to the database and the output is sent back to the attacker, letting them steal your data. A ‘blind’ SQL injection vulnerability is when the attacker can send commands to the database but they don’t actually see or receive any information from your database -- so they’re just manipulating your website.

A hacker would likely use a classic SQL injection to exploit information. If your application has sensitive data, the hacker might want to expose that to cause harm or consequences to the people the data is about.

Hackers may also want to expose information you have to show it’s false or hurting the population at large. But keep in mind, some hackers hack for no reason at all -- and just because they can.