Why API Injection Vulnerabilities Are So Important

One of the most significant and common API vulnerabilities is the “Injection” vulnerability, specifically SQL Injection. In 2017, Equifax experienced a data breach whereby attackers exploited a vulnerability in a consumer complaint web portal using SQL injection. It affected approximately 147 million people, exposing their personal data. Shortly after the breach, the company saw a drop in its stock price, and it triggered many lawsuits and regulatory investigations. This breach is a prime example of how injection vulnerabilities can have a severe impact on an organization, resulting in the theft of hundreds of millions of customer records.

In this blog, we will explore what injection vulnerabilities are, their impact on organizations, and how to mitigate them.

What is an SQL Injection Vulnerability?

An SQL (Structured Query Language) injection vulnerability allows an attacker to manipulate input data so that it is interpreted as code by the API or the underlying database. This allows the execution of unauthorized commands and can lead to potential access to sensitive data, data manipulation, or even full system compromise like the Equifax case. Fortunately, however, these vulnerabilities can be identified and mitigated proactively to prevent malicious exploitation.

The Consequences of SQL Injection

SQL injection is a critical vulnerability designated by OWASP Top 10 and poses a significant threat to the integrity and security of data in any web application. When exploited, it can result in:

1. Data Leakage: Attackers can extract sensitive information from the database, such as personal details, passwords, and credit card data.
2. Data Manipulation: Attackers can alter, delete, or corrupt data within the database, potentially resulting in data loss or integrity issues.
3. Unauthorized Access: Exploiting SQL injection may inadvertently grant unauthorized access to restricted areas of the application or administrative controls.
4. Application Disruption: Attackers can cause errors, crashes, or downtime, disrupting the application’s normal workflows.
5. Lateral Movement: If the database is linked to other systems, attackers could use SQL injection to move laterally with the goal of reaching other areas within the network.
6. Privilege Escalation: A successful SQL injection attack may result in privilege escalation, giving attackers administrative control over an application or database.

While the above consequences are important to understand, injection vulnerabilities can have a significant impact on an organization, including loss of reputation, financial repercussions in the form of legal fees, regulatory penalties, and incident response costs, and lead to operational disruptions and downtime. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is one example where companies can face fines of up to 4% of their annual revenue or €20 million, whichever is higher, if found in non-compliance with the regulation’s data protection mandates.

8 Ways to Mitigate Injection Vulnerabilities

There are various strategies that can be employed to mitigate injection vulnerabilities. These security approaches are practical steps that can be implemented in real-world scenarios. Here are eight ways to mitigate injection vulnerabilities:

1. Input Validation: Sanitize and validate user inputs to ensure they follow expected data formats and aren’t treated as code.
2. Parameterized Queries: Use parameterized queries or prepared statements to treat user inputs as data, not executable code.
3. Stored Procedures: Utilize stored procedures to separate database logic from application code.
4. ORMs and Libraries: Ensure Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) libraries generate parameterized queries to prevent SQL injection.
5. Least Privilege Principle: Limit the database user’s permission to only what’s necessary for the application.
6. WAF: Use a web application firewall to detect and block injection attacks.
7. Security Testing: Regularly perform security assessments and continuous penetration testing to find and fix injection vulnerabilities and ensure remediation measures are effective.
8. Security Training: Train developers on secure code practices and the risks of injection attacks.

Addressing SQL and other injection vulnerabilities can reduce potential incidents and serious system compromises. By following best practices and maintaining a proactive security approach, the risk of injection attacks can be reduced and their associated consequences avoided.

Identify Injection Vulnerabilities and Other API Vulnerabilities

APIs are interfaces that often share sensitive data and are a likely target for attacks like injection, broken authentication, or data exposure. Regular security testing can identify and mitigate these vulnerabilities and ensures that the API performs correctly, including handling requests and responses as policies dictate. Offensive security tools like DAST, continuous security testing, or fuzz testing of APIs can assess reliability and behavior under various testing methods throughout the entire software development lifecycle, enabling not only better performance and reliability but a smooth UX, reducing risk and failures.

BreachLock recommends leveraging both human-delivered and continuous pentesting to ensure that all injection vulnerabilities are identified and resolved. Continuous penetration testing allows companies to run ongoing API security testing and monitoring, often receiving real-time findings and reports to help prioritize and mitigate injection vulnerabilities immediately.

About BreachLock

BreachLock is a global leader in Continuous Attack Surface Discovery and Penetration Testing services. Continuously discover, prioritize, and mitigate exposures with evidence-backed Attack Surface Management, Penetration Testing, and Red Teaming.

Elevate your defense strategy with an attacker’s view that goes beyond common vulnerabilities and exposures. Each risk we uncover is backed by validated evidence. We test your entire attack surface and help you mitigate your next cyber breach before it occurs.

Author

Ann Chesbrough