The implications of not securing your network are grievous, especially as cyberattacks have become a regular occurrence. It's either you do the needful or suffer the consequences because attackers mean serious business. And, one of their most common tactics is an injection attack.
Suddenly, your system begins to execute commands that you didn’t initiate. If you have security defenses in place, there's a chance to contain the attack. But in the absence of one, you watch your system crumble before your eyes.
This can be devasting. In this article, we'll define an injection attack, its various types, and how you can detect and prevent it.
What Is an Injection Attack?
An injection attack is a process where an attacker injects or infects your web application with malicious code to retrieve your personal information or compromise your system. The attacker tricks your system into thinking that the command was initiated by you and it blindly processes the command.
Injection attacks are among the oldest and most dangerous cyberattacks due to how they are executed. An attacker can get any information that they need from your network or hijack it once they inject the right codes.
Types of Injection Attacks
Since injection attacks have been around for a long time, they are popular and understood by attackers including inexperienced ones. Executing such attacks is not so difficult because the tools needed are easily accessible by hackers. Indeed, you should be worried about the vulnerability of your system to injection attacks.
Managing injection attacks entails understanding the dynamics of the various kinds of injection attacks that exist.
Let's take a look at some of the common injection attacks.
1. SQL Injection (SQL)
SQL is a command used to send queries to a database, especially to access, retrieve, save, or delete data from the database.
Your web application has an SQL feature that is used to initiate any query that you want to execute. The attacker targets your SQL and manipulates it through your comment fields, form input fields, or other channels open to users.
2. Code Injection
During a code injection attack, an attacker ensures that they are familiar with the programming language or application code of your network.
Having understood the programming language or application code, they inject it with a similar code, tricking your web server into executing the command as one from your end.
3. Command Injection
Web applications are sometimes configured to call system commands on their operating webservers. Your failure to restrict or validate user input could lead to an injection attack.
Unlike a code injection where an attacker needs to get acquainted with the programming language, they only need to identify the operating system of the webserver to execute this kind of attack. Once inside, they initiate a command and the webserver executes the command the same way it would execute one that you initiated.
4. CCS Injection
A CCS injection happens when an attacker detects and exploits loopholes in the ChangeCipherSpec processing in some OpenSSL versions. The attacker then sends malicious signals to the communications between servers and clients, eavesdropping on their communications to steal sensitive data or cause damage.
The most common type of injection attack, CCS injection thrives amid many web applications as you may lack the time and resources to manage them effectively.
5. Host Header Injection
Servers hosting many websites need a host header. When an HTTP request is made, it’s the value of the host header that determines which web application responds to it.
A cybercriminal can manipulate the host header to initiate a password reset. In some cases, injecting the host header can cause web cache poisoning.
How to Detect Injection Attack Vulnerabilities
Injection attacks are best resolved when detected early enough before an attacker gets a total hold of your system.
The most effective way to detect injection vulnerabilities is by implementing an automated web vulnerability scanner on your network. If you want, you may choose to do the detection manually using penetration testing but that takes more time and resources.
Using an automated scanner is faster in picking up threat signals and helping you initiate a defense response to resist cyberattacks.
How to Prevent Injection Attacks
Preventing injection attacks requires coding your web application securely so that it can’t be easily manipulated. Depending on the nature of your web application, there are various techniques you can implement to prevent attacks.
1. Validate User Inputs
User inputs are key indicators of injection attacks. You need to create a whitelist to validate all user inputs on your web application.
Leaving your system open to receive all user-submitted data is a recipe for disaster. Create codes that can identify invalid users on your system and filter out suspicious user inputs.
Filtering data by context is effective as well. Choose the inputs that are appropriate in various situations. For instance, in the case of email addresses, you should only allow characters and numbers. For phone numbers, you should only allow digits.
2. Limit Access to Essential Privileges
The degree of damage an attacker can inflict on your network depends on the level of access they have. You can restrict their access by not always allowing admin privileges on the systems that you use to connect to your database.
Use a limited access account for most of your activities. That way, if a hacker gains access to the account, there’ll be a limit to what they can do.
3. Update and Patch
Web applications are more prone to injection attacks when their software is outdated.
Attackers are always on the lookout for vulnerabilities to take advantage of. Enhance the security of your webservers by prioritizing your updates and applying patches regularly.
Be careful of the tools that you use to update your system as some of them contain malware that will steal your data. If you have a tight schedule, you can automate the process by adopting a patch management system to cater to those needs.
4. Guard Sensitive Information
There’s only so much cybercriminals can do without the sensitive credentials of your web application. Be mindful of the information that’s directly or indirectly displayed within your system.
For instance, an error message that looks harmless on the surface could give an attacker a great clue to penetrate your system. Ensure that any messages displayed on your web application don’t contain vital information.
5. Adopt an Effective Web Application Firewall
Adopting trusted web application firewalls helps you to block suspicious user inputs or data requests. The security features of the latest firewalls are strong enough to detect emerging threats even before a patch is provided.
Control Who Accesses Your System
Although injection attacks are common, they can be prevented. User input is the main source of such attacks. If you can control the user inputs to your web application, you can avoid injection attacks.
Don't trust anyone using your system completely because you don't know what they are up to. While you need to give them access to your network, you should put measures in place to ensure that they can't cause any harm even if they want to.
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