How Sql Injections Work?

Websites and applications often use databases to store data like user information, product details, or other types of records. To interact with the database, these websites or applications use a language called SQL (Structured Query Language).

SQL allows the website or application to send queries to the database to retrieve or modify data. For example, a login page might use a SQL query to check if a username and password combination exists in the database.

Now, imagine a scenario where a website doesn't properly validate or sanitize user input before using it in SQL queries. This is where SQL injections can occur.

SQL injections occur when an attacker exploits a vulnerability in a website or application that allows them to manipulate the SQL queries being sent to the database. Here's a step-by-step breakdown of how it typically happens:

1. User Input: Websites or applications often have input fields where users can enter data, such as login forms, search boxes, or comment sections.
2. SQL Queries: When the application receives user input, it constructs SQL queries to interact with the database. These queries are used to retrieve, modify, or insert data into the database based on the user's input.
3. Lack of Input Validation: Insecure applications may fail to properly validate or sanitize the user input before using it in SQL queries. This means that the input is directly concatenated into the query string without any checks or filters.
4. Injecting Malicious Code: An attacker takes advantage of the lack of input validation and injects malicious SQL code into the input fields. This code is designed to manipulate the original SQL query in unintended ways.
5. Altering Query Logic: By injecting specific SQL code, the attacker aims to change the logic of the query to their advantage. Common techniques include using Boolean operators like "OR" and "AND" to modify the query's conditions or adding comments to bypass parts of the query.
6. Unauthorized Access or Data Manipulation: If successful, the injected code alters the query's behavior, allowing the attacker to perform unauthorized actions. This could involve bypassing authentication mechanisms, retrieving sensitive data, modifying or deleting records, or even executing arbitrary commands on the database server.