Tools / Cyber Security Interview Questions
Explain the execution flow of a SQL Injection attack?
flowchart TD
A[Attacker finds unsanitized input field] --> B[Submits crafted SQL payload]
B --> C[App concatenates input into query string]
C --> D[Database executes the altered query]
D --> E[Data exfiltrated or authentication bypassed]
- The attacker identifies an input field, such as a login form or search box, that isn't properly sanitized
- They submit a crafted string containing SQL syntax instead of expected data
- Because the application builds its query by concatenating that input directly, the database receives a modified query rather than the intended one
- The database executes the altered query exactly as written, since it has no way to distinguish injected code from legitimate query structure
- Depending on the payload, this can bypass authentication, dump entire tables, or in some database engines even execute operating system commands
Blind SQL injection variants achieve the same outcome without visible error messages, instead inferring data one bit at a time by observing subtle differences in response timing or content.
Why does the database execute the attacker's altered query without complaint?
How does blind SQL injection extract data without visible errors?
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