As time is passing, WordPress is getting popular, and users love using it. However, it’s not a surprise. It is a free open source CMS that is very convenient for everyone, including non-programmers. It is easy yet powerful. Who wouldn’t like it? But as more people start using it, it is also receiving unwanted attention from hackers. This article bears information regarding SQL injection security vulnerability and methods to deal with it.
SQL injection can pose an unimaginable threat to your website if you are careless. A complete and successful security breach using SQL injection can result in hackers getting your information. It is within his power to erase any data from your website. This attack comprises of stealing any sensitive information or resources of your website. To stop this from happening, read this article to the end.
SQL Injection Attack:
Most of the time, whenever you hear about stolen confidential information from organizations, it most probably happened by using SQL injections. More the reason to decrease the SQL injection vulnerabilities. But what is SQL? It is a language used in programming and designed to manage data held in the database management system.
What Exactly Is An SQL Injection Attack?
SQL injection( also called SQLI) is one of the many injection types of attack. Hackers use this common network injection attack to inject malicious code into databases to access confidential and sensitive information. They execute this attack by entering code into the entry fields of the websites.
For example, let us consider a shopping website. When a user clicks on the toys category, their browser will request the following URL:
https://xyz-website.com/products?category=Toys
This URL causes the website to request a SQL query to obtain product details from the database.
SELECT * FROM products WHERE category = ‘Toys’ AND released = 1
The SQL query requires the database to return all details from the products table relevant to the gifts category and released is 1.
Here, the released=1 command shows only the released products.
If the website doesn’t have any defenses against SQL injections, then an attacker can use an attack like:
https://insecure-website.com/products?category=Gifts'--
So the resulting query will be like this:
SELECT * FROM products WHERE category = 'Toys'--' AND released = 1
The double dash here(–) is a comment indicator in SQL. By adding it, the database perceives the rest of the query as a comment. This action results in the removal of AND released=1. Therefore, all the product details will be displayed, including the unreleased ones.
Similarly, a hacker can use various ways to obtain details that are not for everyone to access.
How To Prevent SQL Injections?
We have learned about how dangerous SQL injections can be. Hence, it must be our priority to get rid of SQL injection vulnerabilities as soon as possible. The following ways will help prevent SQL injections:
1.Hide My WP:
Hide My WP is a trusted WordPress security plugin. It has a WordPress firewall powered by an IDS engine which helps block SQL injection attacks. It provides all-day protection against these attacks and increases network injection defenses.
This plugin stops CRSF, XSS, and brute force attacks as well. It hides your WordPress login page and directory files to increase WordPress security.
2.Input Validation:
Input validation comprises adding specific criteria for input that a user enters. For example, for a name input, you can restrict users to use only letters. If a user enters any characters other than letters, the input will not be valid.
For an email input, you can allow only the use of ‘@’ special-character. This way, you can regulate what users type in the entry fields of your website.
3. Detection Of SQL Injections Vulnerability:
Various free and paid tools help detect the SQL vulnerabilities of your website. These tools first obtain knowledge about your database and then use several SQL queries to understand which works effectively to gather information about your website.
They also offer a feature to fix the errors they found. This method will decrease the SQLI vulnerabilities of your WordPress.
4.Parameterization:
When you parameterize your SQL, your database can differentiate between input data and commands. Though dynamic SQL is more flexible, it considers SQLI vulnerabilities as an input command. Thus, we must use standard SQL that interprets malicious SQL statements as input data but not as a command.
5. Regular Updates:
It is vital to regularly update databases, WordPress software, plugins, and themes to decrease WordPress vulnerabilities. We must stay in tune regarding the new updates that are released and install them immediately.
6. Increase Login Security:
It is vital to increase the security of login pages. We must avoid using default login page URLs, usernames, and passwords. As we discussed earlier, the Hide My WP security plugin helps hide the WordPress login page. We can either customize the login page URL or add a specific key to it. Doing this ensures the safety of your website.
Conclusion
- SQL injection attacks are often known for stealing confidential information from the databases of your website.
- These attacks happen when a hacker adds malicious code to your website’s entry fields.
- Hide My WP comes with a WordPress firewall that helps protect websites from SQL injection attacks.
- We must enforce input validation to restrict users from entering malicious code into your website. Only valid inputs will be allowed to enter the databases.
- SQLi vulnerability detection tools help analyze the openings that a hacker uses to implement an SQL injection attack. We can also use these tools to fix those errors and safeguard our website.
- We should use standard SQL that can distinguish between user input and an SQL command statement.
- We should keep databases, WordPress software, plugins, and themes up to date by installing the new updates regularly.
- It is crucial to hide the WordPress login page and use strong login credentials that are unpredictable. We can hide the login page of the website using the Hide My WP security plugin.
- SQL injection attacks are very hazardous. So we must take as many measures as possible to reduce SQLi vulnerabilities.