Injection Attacks
An injection attack is a broad class of security vulnerabilities that occur when untrusted data is sent to an interpreter as part of a command or query. This malicious data then alters the execution of that program, potentially leading to unauthorized access, data breaches, or system compromise.
Common Types of Injection Attacks:
SQL Injection (SQLi): The attacker injects malicious SQL queries into input fields that interact with a database, potentially retrieving, modifying, or deleting data.
Command Injection: Attackers inject system commands into input fields, allowing them to execute commands on the underlying operating system.
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): Malicious scripts are injected into web pages viewed by other users, enabling attackers to steal data or hijack sessions.
Importance of Assessing Your Entire External Digital Presence
An organization's attack surface is vast and includes its main website, subdomains, cloud services, exposed APIs, third-party integrations, and legacy systems. Any point in this digital ecosystem where user input is processed and interpreted could be susceptible to injection attacks. Assessing your entire external digital presence is crucial to identify and remediate these vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them.
How ThreatNG Helps Address Injection Attacks
ThreatNG, with its all-in-one external attack surface management approach, helps organizations proactively identify and mitigate injection risks across their digital footprint.
Comprehensive Discovery and Inventory: ThreatNG's powerful external investigation capabilities create a complete map of all exposed assets, including web applications, APIs, cloud services, and code repositories. This ensures no potential injection points are overlooked.
Vulnerability Identification: ThreatNG actively scans discovered assets for known injection vulnerabilities. It analyzes code in exposed repositories, identifies insecure input handling practices, and checks for the presence of security measures like input validation and sanitization.
Prioritization and Risk Assessment: Identified vulnerabilities are prioritized based on severity and potential impact, guiding security teams to address the most critical injection risks first.
Collaboration with Complementary Security Solutions:
ThreatNG integrates with other security tools to provide a layered defense against injection attacks:
Web Application Firewalls (WAFs): ThreatNG can identify web applications and their associated WAFs. It can then provide detailed information about identified injection vulnerabilities, enabling the WAF to implement specific rules to block or mitigate such attacks.
Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) Tools: ThreatNG can flag potential injection vulnerabilities in code repositories or during application runtime. These findings can be passed to SAST/DAST tools for in-depth analysis and remediation recommendations.
Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) Tools: RASP tools provide real-time protection by monitoring and blocking suspicious input patterns that could lead to injection attacks. ThreatNG can help configure RASP rules by identifying vulnerable endpoints and potential attack payloads.
Example Workflow
Let's consider a scenario where ThreatNG discovers a potential SQL injection vulnerability in a web application's login form. Here's how it might interact with other security solutions:
Discovery & Alert: ThreatNG identifies the vulnerable login form and generates an alert with details about the potential SQL injection risk.
WAF Integration: Information about the vulnerable endpoint and the type of attack is shared with the WAF.
WAF Rule Implementation: The WAF configures rules to block requests containing common SQL injection patterns (e.g., SQL keywords and special characters).
SAST/DAST Integration: Details about the potential vulnerability are passed to SAST/DAST tools to pinpoint the exact code location and provide remediation guidance.
Injection attacks remain a top threat to web applications and systems. By providing comprehensive visibility into the external attack surface and collaborating with other security tools, ThreatNG helps organizations proactively defend against injection attacks, protect sensitive data, and maintain the integrity of their systems.
