What is SQL Injection?
SQL injection can be defined as the process used by the web hackers to attack the system and pilfer important data from the organizations. It generally causes due to the wrong coding present in your web application. This fault allows the hackers to inject SQL commands for example a login form that helps them to access easily into the database. The remote database administrator expertscan prevent the easy access of the hackers from filling all the fields with SQL statements.
Image source: memes.com
SQL Injection: A Comprehensive Explanation
The web visitors can submit as well as get back the data from the internet using their favorite web browsers. Now, the data is getting stored centrally from where it is getting delivered as and when required. The host of stakeholders like the employees, suppliers and the customers can get hold of all the important data according to their requirements. All the confidential data for example, the information about the payment, financial statistics of the company and the credentials of the users can be accessed regularly through the web applications for your business purpose.
As the SQL injection is a hacking technique with the SQL commands, the web applications may get affected by the attacks if not disinfected properly. The prevention process should ensure that the hackers are not able to view or wipe out important information from your database.
There are some website features which are vulnerable to the SQL injection attacks. Some of the common features can be login forms, shopping carts, feedback forms, product request forms, search pages etc.
An Example of SQL Injection Attack
Say, you are fulfilling a simple login page with your personal details. You will definitely use a username and a password to login and view your details from the next time. Now, when the user is submitting his personal data, the SQL commands get generated and the details get transferred to the database for the purpose of verification. The web application verifies whether the user is valid or not. After the process, the user becomes legitimate for accessing the account easily.
In case of the SQL injection, the hackers create SQL commands from before and bypass the login stage. This will only be possible if the inputs are not properly sanitized before sending it to the database. Therefore, all these vulnerabilities can allow the hackers to prepare a direct communication to the database.
ASP, PHP, JSP, CGI and ASP.NET are all the script languages which can be vulnerable to the SQL commands and can initiate the hacking process. The simplicity and the easy accessibility of the SQL commands through the SQL injection have made it popular within a few months.
What are The Impact of SQL Injection?
When the hacker realizes that the system is much vulnerable to the SQL commands and the SQL injection can be used without any difficulty, you can use the DROP command in your database to prevent them.
The arbitrary SQL statements can prove to be vulnerable if the integrity of your database gets affected with the expose of the sensitive information. In this case the UNION command can be used for preparing the related data from the different tables and arranging them in the sub-selects or the arbitrary data.
Some specific SQL servers like Microsoft SQL server can store various database server functions and can prevent the disaster from the attacker by not allowing the easy access to the vulnerable systems.
Therefore, the firewalls can be useful to prevent the full-scale web attacks and can maintain a security mechanism in your account. If your servers, programming languages, databases and the operating systems can be patched in the proper way, the attack can easily be prevented.