Injection Attacks: Types, Techniques, and Prevention

As 2025 approaches, injection attacks have become one of the most widespread and hazardous cybersecurity threats that organizations face around the world. These attacks vigorously utilize vulnerabilities in applications to inject malicious code, access unauthorized data, or trick system behavior for their benefit. According to a forecast by Gartner, worldwide end-user spending on information security and risk management is likely to reach $212 billion by 2025. The statistic indicates that the attack surface for both web-based applications and digital services is growing as more businesses rely on web applications. Furthermore, injection attacks threaten not only sensitive data but also may incur reputation loss for businesses, which drives the need for a better understanding of the concepts of injection attacks.

In this article, we look at different types of injection attacks, including the infamous SQL injection attacks, show how attackers take advantage of vulnerabilities, discuss some very recent injection attacks, and provide some effective strategies on how to prevent injection attacks.

What are Injection Attacks?

Injection attacks are a type of cyber-attack where an attacker provides malicious data as input to a program, causing a program execution of a certain command or disclosure of forbidden data. The attacks exploit weaknesses in an application’s data processing to enable the attacker to change the logical behavior of an application. An attacker, in this regard, may inject malicious code or commands to compromise databases, steal sensitive information, disrupt services, or gain unauthorized system access.

Core Concepts of Injection Attacks

Injection attacks take advantage of an application’s failure either to sanitize or validate user-supplied input. When user input is directly included in code, queries, or commands without proper validation, this allows the attacker to inject malicious executable code or manipulate the application. Here are some core components of injection attacks:

1. SQL Injection: SQL injection is a kind of injection attack aimed at databases with malicious SQL statements. The attacker can continually manipulate the queries to leak sensitive data or edit records, and they may even execute administrative-level operations. Breaches involving SQLi bring serious implications for integrity in data and business continuity.
2. Command Injection: This is an attack technique where a cyber criminal can inject malicious input into applications, which interact with system commands to execute arbitrary commands on a host operating system. Attacks like these very often drive to the full compromise of systems where the attackers will delete files, install malware, or get escalated privileges. The impact will be on both the application and infrastructure.
3. XML Injection: This is an attack where malicious XML content is injected into the request towards an application, which considers the input as valid to process. These manipulations can affect how an application processes the XML documents and may lead to unauthorized access to data or even execution of commands when systems depend on XML for data representation.
4. NoSQL Injection: NoSQL injection attacks target NoSQL databases by injecting malicious queries that take advantage of applications failing to validate user inputs. This provides illicit access to databases that an attacker can use to read information from, modify, or even delete information. NoSQL injection has turned out to be quite a grave concern in modern day-to-day applications relying on non-relational databases.

Impact of Injection Attacks

Understanding the potential attendant damage by injection attacks underlines the urgency that this kind of cybersecurity threat needs. Implications are not merely technical,  they can have widespread business consequences, comprising legal liabilities and loss of customer trust. Following are some of the gravest impacts of injection attacks:

1. Data Theft: The attackers gain unauthorized access to sensitive data, including but not limited to personal information, financial records, and business proprietary data. SQL injection attacks are made to fetch such data from databases, which causes severe privacy breaches. Besides the violation of customer trust, this may lead to some regulatory penalties.
2. Data Loss or Corruption: Cyber criminals can delete or alter data, leading to a loss of integrity. Such corrupted data can lead to disrupted operations in business and result in hasty business decisions. The recovery from such a loss usually involves more expenses and time.
3. DoS (Denial of Service): Injection attacks can be leveraged to crash applications or overload databases, which increases the probability of system downtime and loss of business. Besides impacts on customer satisfaction, the company’s brand reputation is damaged. The longer the downtime, the more perpetual negative effects there could be in terms of business continuity.
4. Privilege Escalation: Attackers can take advantage of the vulnerabilities to elevate privileges, giving them full control over systems. Further exploitation can be done in other manners, such as malware deployment in the phase or access to other network resources. This control will let the attackers perform other types of injection attacks within the system.
5. Financial Losses: Information theft or disruption of services brings financial losses brought about by fraudulent transactions, besides indirect losses through system downtimes and recovery costs. It is rather expensive to fix up injection attacks, and insurance premiums may also go up after a big breach.
6. Reputational Damage: Customers expect their data to be secret, and such breaches caused by injection attacks may lead to a lack of confidence. After an injection attack, regaining customer confidence becomes tough. Negative publicity may have long-term implications on customer retention and acquisition.
7. Legal Effects: Failure to comply with the regulations related to data protection may result in fines. Regulations such as GDPR and CCPA have heavy fines if data breaches occur. Lawsuits may be filed by affected customers as well as business partners, so businesses must implement strong measures to avoid injection attacks and ensure compliance with the laws.

By being informed of these impacts, organizations can better understand the importance of implementing strategies on how to prevent injection attacks.

Types of Injection Attacks in Cybersecurity

There are various types of injection attacks, each of which exploits different types of vulnerabilities in applications. Knowing each will help businesses prepare specific defenses against them. Now, let us review the most common types of injection attacks in cybersecurity:

1. SQL Injection Attacks: These are some of the most common types of injection attacks. SQL injection attacks involve manipulating SQL queries to obtain or modify data in a database. Attackers can bypass authentication and retrieve or change data. Applications typically have a database as an essential layer that is targeted by this kind of injection attack. Thus, it is crucial to have certain guards in place against it. Preventing SQL injection attacks plays a major role in maintaining data integrity and confidentiality.
2. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): This kind of attack involves injecting malicious scripts into normally trusted websites. The users who rely on the website are then affected. This normally promotes session hijacking and the redirection of users to malicious sites. Normally, XSS attacks attack web applications that are vulnerable to code injection through user input fields. When left unnoticed and unmitigated, these kinds of attacks spread rampantly.
3. Command Injection: It enables an attacker to inject and run arbitrary commands at a vulnerable application on the host operating system. This could provide attackers with control over the server and, subsequently, sensitive information. Command injection is particularly destructive, as it allows attackers to gain full control over system resources, potentially leading to severe data breaches and system compromise.. This level of control can then be used for carrying out further types of injection attacks or any other malicious activity.
4. LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) Injection: This injection attack includes the manipulation of the LDAP statements to change the intended LDAP queries that could provide unauthorized access to the directory services. Attackers develop applications that build LDAP statements with user-supplied input without validation or sanitization. Compromising the directory services leads to unexpected generalized unauthorized access across the network.
5. XPATH Injection: The XPATH injection involves the manipulation of queries of XML data to access unauthorized data; the attacking hackers will manipulate the XML query to bring out sensitive information. This kind of injection attack targets applications that store and transfer data using XML. Securing XML parsers becomes very important in avoiding such exploitation.
6. Code Injection: Includes any attack in which hackers cripple an application by injecting attacking code to execute malicious actions. This compromises the application logic and can even lead to breaches at the system level. Attackers are using code injection attacks to install malware or backdoors into systems. The persistent threats introduced through code injection are hard to detect and, consequently, hard to eradicate.

How do Injection Attacks work?

Understanding how injection attacks work is critical to actively defend against them. Most injection attacks are based on a vulnerability in communications between applications and their databases or other services. An attacker takes advantage of the weak input handling of applications. The general flow of most of the injection attacks goes like this:

1. Identifying Vulnerable Inputs: Attackers find input fields that are not properly sanitized. These could be login forms, search bars, or any field that accepts user input. Performing the analysis of the application, they look for areas where they may inject malicious code. Quite often, automated tools are used to scan such vulnerabilities in web applications.
2. Crafting malicious inputs: Cyber criminals design input that would affect how an application performs or processes something. In most cases, it involves special characters or even snippets of code in trying to alter queries or commands. For example, in SQL injection attacks, the attackers may input SQL codes to manipulate database queries. Mastery of application logic helps the attacker craft appropriate input.
3. Execution of malicious commands: The application processes the input and executes unintended commands. Inadequate input validation allows the malicious code to be executed. This may result in unauthorized access to data or system compromise. These commands can be executed without any visible signs to the user or administrators.
4. Data Exfiltration: Attackers take away data or hijack the system. They may also extract valuable information or manipulate the system to render further exploits, which is usually the ultimate motive for performing injection attacks. Data exfiltration may occur for a longer period so that it becomes undetectable.
5. Covering Tracks: Many times, the attacker would clear the logs or take other evasive actions to avoid detection of unauthorized access. It eventually makes it difficult for organizations to detect and respond to a breach as soon as possible. Advanced attackers also encrypt or tunnel their activities, which again limits the response time.

Common Targets and Vulnerabilities

Certain systems and practices make applications vulnerable to injection attacks. Being able to identify common targets and vulnerabilities helps in reinforcing the defenses where they are necessary. Some of the most exploited areas wherein injection attacks are done include the following:

1. Web Applications: Web applications can be complex, especially when dynamic content is involved along with the database interactions, making them ideal targets of all sorts of certain attacks. Injection is one of the most common types of attacks increasingly targeting web applications, given the pervasiveness and exposure to the internet that these have. Regular updates and security assessments are very important in such applications.
2. User Input Fields: These are forms, search boxes, and URL parameters that take user input. Without proper validation, these become the entry points for attacks. Quite often, attackers will utilize these to inject malicious input into systems, such as in SQL injection attacks. Performing strict input validation can help mitigate this.
3. Unpatched Systems: Known vulnerabilities of outdated software also turn out to be easy targets for injection attacks. Updates play an important role in patching security gaps so that when injection attacks occur, such systems can be secure. Patch management should become one of the priorities when setting up security protocols.
4. Poor Input Validation: Some systems allow users to provide input without proper sanitization, which is a very basic security failure and is considered one of the top vulnerabilities of injection attacks. For robustness, validation needs to be conducted on both the client and server sides.
5. Legacy Systems: These are older systems with outdated security mechanisms. Legacy systems may not have the facility or capability to support modern security practices and protocols. These systems are thus quite vulnerable to many types of injection attacks. However, upgrading or isolating these legacy systems could be a mitigating factor for organizations.
6. Third-party Plugins: Some third-party plugins may introduce vulnerabilities into otherwise secure applications and serve as backdoors if not properly vetted. Organizations must ensure plugins are secure and up-to-date, especially when the risk factor is very high. So, regularly reviewing and updating third-party components is essential to avoid becoming a victim of injection attacks.

Attacker Techniques in Injection Attacks

Attackers use a variety of attack techniques to exploit vulnerabilities. In many cases, they chain together several attack techniques to breach defenses. Knowing these techniques of attackers, an organization may better prepare and lay strategies on how to prevent injection attacks. Examples of some of the common SQL injection attack techniques include:

1. Union-Based SQL Injection: The utilization of the UNION SQL operator is one of the standard techniques followed in SQL injection for combining results and extracting data. Furthermore, it helps an attacker to fetch data from different database tables. They can even access certain information that they aren’t supposed to view under normal terms and conditions. Understanding SQL syntax aids in tracing such types of possible attacks and consequently hindering them.
2. Error-Based Injection: This technique forces the database to generate errors, hence providing information. Attackers intentionally cause errors with the intention to collect information about the underlying database structure. These pieces of information will be useful in crafting an advanced attack. Proper error handling prevents sensitive information disclosure.
3. Blind SQL Injection: This attack technique consists of a process of deducing data that one may send using these payloads and observing responses. Even in the absence of error messages, an attacker may infer information based on the application’s behavior. When error messages are not available, this technique is used. Time delays and content-based responses will avoid blind injections.
4. Second-Order Injection: In this injection attack technique, there is a malicious input that is stored and executed at a later stage. Usually, this technique bypasses initial security checks, after which the attacker feeds data that appears harmless but eventually becomes malicious when used out of context. Mitigating this technique requires full input validation throughout all data processing stages.
5. Manipulation of Parameterized Queries: This involves parameter changes to get around security controls. The attackers manipulate the parameters so that the logic of database queries would be different. It could lead to unauthorized data access or modification. Possible countermeasures include strict parameterization and avoidance of dynamic queries.
6. Obfuscation Techniques: In general, malicious input can be encoded or obfuscated to mask itself and avoid detection. That way, it may not get blocked by security filters, which usually watch out for specific attack patterns. The attackers might use Unicode encoding or comments when trying to hide their attack payloads. Obfuscated attacks can be easily mitigated with advanced input validation that normalizes input.

Recent SQL Injection Attacks

Recent injection attacks show how constantly evolving the threat landscape is, underscoring the importance of up-to-date security practices. These attacks emphasize that organizations need to stay vigilant as attackers continuously adapt their methods. Here are some notable incidents:

1. GambleForce: In December 2023, the GambleForce threat actor group initiated SQL injection attacks against organizations within the Asia-Pacific region. Using only open-source tools such as SQL map and Cobalt Strike, GambleForce has continued to target sectors that include government, retail, and even gambling, extracting sensitive data such as user credentials from databases that become vulnerable. This group uses open-source tools, which brings into focus the need for database securing and frequent input validation as measures of prevention against this type of SQL injection exploit.
2. Data Breach in Healthcare System-Advocate Health: In May 2024, Advocate Aurora Health, a healthcare system in Wisconsin and Illinois, reported a data breach exposing the personal information of 3 million patients. The breach was attributed to improper use of Meta Pixel on the websites of the provider. After the breach, Advocate Health was faced with hefty fines and legal battles resulting from the exposure of Protected Health Information(PHI). This incident has highlighted the vulnerabilities within healthcare data systems that require stringent security protocols for protection.
3. Boolka Threat Actor: Boolka is a threat actor group that has conducted SQL injection attacks on different websites to install a certain type of trojan known as BMANAGER. In such types of injection attacks, Boolka infects vulnerable websites with malicious JavaScript that captures user input and then redirects the victim to malware downloads. Further exfiltration of data and continued access are enabled by the installed BMANAGER trojan. It is important for organizations to make sure their databases are secure and protected against injection vulnerabilities.
4. The Nokia Data Breach: Nokia Corporation reported a huge data breach in July 2024, which included more than 7,622 employee records being exposed due to a vulnerability bug with third-party access. The information leaked included personally identifiable details regarding the name, designation, and contact details of employees. Nokia is now investigating the matter but says that stringing third-party integrations will be the key for the future. This case shows that vulnerabilities can be created not just from within but also from outside partnerships.
5. ResumeLooters Campaign: A hacking group, ResumeLooters, leveraged SQL injection attacks on multiple recruitment websites with over 2 million user records across industries such as retail and professional services in the year 2023. The group leveraged poor database management practices to qualify for sensitive information, including names, email addresses, and work histories from at least 65 websites globally. The campaign demonstrated how easy it can be to conduct a large-scale data breach using publicly available tools when security is not significant.

These recent injection attacks underscore the importance of understanding how to prevent injection attacks.

Prevention and Mitigation Strategies Against Injection Attacks

The multifaceted approach towards preventing injection attacks addresses both technological and procedural aspects of application development and maintenance. As a result, it becomes crucial for businesses to curate some strategies to counter the injection attacks. Below are some strategies to reduce the attack surface and enhance overall security resilience.

1. Input Validation: Always validate and sanitize users’ input to avoid malicious data processing. Perform whitelist validation wherever feasible. Although it is a basic step in how to prevent injection attacks, this makes sure that only expected input is accepted. Enforce the validation rules using regular expressions or input length checks.
2. Parameterized Queries: These prevent SQL injection attacks with the use of prepared statements that contain parameterized queries. In such queries, it is impossible for user input to affect the query structure. The deployment of parameterized queries is a strong defense against SQL injection attacks. Most modern programming languages and database systems already support this technique.
3. Stored Procedures for Database Queries: Employing database queries using stored procedures introduces an input-output barrier between user input and database commands. Stored procedures provide for better access control, potentially preventing the execution of certain queries by untrusted inputs. They also provide some performance enhancement due to lessened parsing overhead. This, in turn, may lead to faster execution and efficiency.
4. Principle of Least Privilege: The principle of least privilege is enforced when databases and applications run with only the access required to perform their responsibilities. The risk inherent in an injection attack is mitigated by limiting what privileges an unauthorized party can have. Permissions granted should be reviewed for appropriateness and pertinence on a periodic basis.
5. Regular Security Audits: Regular security audits involve code reviews and vulnerability scanning. They tend to reveal weaknesses rather quickly. Proactive testing for recent injection attacks should occur regularly. You may hire independent security experts to audit your system independently in order to give an unbiased judgment on the security posture of your system.
6. Use of Web Application Firewalls (WAF): These can help detect and block known types of attacks, thus providing an extra layer of defense against injection attacks. Due to this, the rules of the WAF have to be continuously updated to maintain their effectiveness against the latest types of threats and vulnerabilities. This tuning will keep improving with every passing day as these cyber threats evolve with time.
7. Educate Developers in Secure Coding: Anti-vulnerability minimization needs proper training in secure coding practices. The more educated your developers are, the fewer security defects the applications they write will have. Continual education will keep your team up-to-date with today’s security trends and also informed about risks, enabling them to prevent injection attacks in their code.

Implementing these strategies is essential in learning how to prevent injection attacks and protect your business from potential threats.

How does SentinelOne help?

SentinelOne’s Singularity™ Platform uses advanced AI and machine learning algorithms to detect potential threats in real-time. It spots SQL injection attempts by scanning activity patterns and picks out irregularities that will show signs of invasions.  SentinelOne analyzes all endpoints and counteracts security issues before they escalate.

Offensive Security Engine™

SentinelOne analyzes your infrastructure with an attacker’s mindset. It uses its Offensive Security Engine™ to pinpoint hidden threats with Verified Exploit Paths™.

SentinelOne’s behavioral analysis capabilities are excellent when it comes to tracking application usage and user activity. It identifies suspicious behaviors related to SQL injection attacks. It can scope for abnormal queries and probe for unauthorized entries. Through the detection of these early warning signs, SentinelOne allows for preemptive action to be taken to stop data leaks and other detrimental results caused by SQL injections.

Automated Response Mechanisms

In the event of a detected SQL injection attack, SentinelOne’s automated response features can quarantine affected systems. It can neutralize threats, and revert to secure states. Its rapid reaction times ensure minimal damages from attacks; companies are  able to uphold operational integrity despite facing serious cyber threats.

Unified Endpoint Protection

SentinelOne provides endpoint security across multiple devices on a company’s network. It makes sure that all endpoints are checked for weaknesses, such as those that might be used with SQL injection. SentinelOne ensures that all devices have the same level of security. It eliminates risks across all attack vectors.

Threat Intelligence Integration

SentinelOne incorporates up-to-date global threat intelligence, allowing organizations to stay informed about the latest vulnerabilities and attack methods related to SQL injections. It lets companies change their security policies accordingly. It also features Snyk and CI/CD pipeline integrations for DevSecOps.

Application Behavior Monitoring

SentinelOne’s application behavior monitoring factors application-level attacks. By monitoring the way applications interact with each other and looking for abnormalities, its system can inform administrators of possible SQL injections, so they can act accordingly.

Overall, SentinelOne helps to eliminate SQL injection attacks with advanced AI threat detection, behavioral analysis, automated response, unified endpoint protection, and continuously updated threat intelligence. To learn more, book a free live demo today.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is now clear why injection attacks continue to pose a serious and long-standing problem for practically all businesses, as they can violate the confidentiality of sensitive information, disrupt operations, and damage the company’s goodwill. As a measure to protect your digital assets, it is equally important to be aware of the different forms of injection attacks, their methods, and how to devise effective countermeasures against them. Making sure that your team is consistently trained on secure code writing methods, performing penetration tests, and researching previous vulnerabilities are some of the fundamental measures to protect against the injection attacks we discussed above.

Currently, most businesses rely on basic cybersecurity measures like VPNs, antivirus software, and firewalls. However, it’s essential to expand your cybersecurity strategy by incorporating advanced tools capable of countering sophisticated cyber threats. Solutions like SentinelOne go beyond traditional defenses by automating real-time threat detection with the SentinelOne Singularity™ platform. This platform strengthens protection against injection attacks and other advanced threats, enabling businesses to focus on growth without compromising the security of sensitive data and critical systems.

FAQs

1. What is the injection attack?

Injection attacks are a type of attack in which an adversary sends malicious inputs to web apps. These inputs get executed as part of a command or query. It results in unauthorized activity, data theft, data loss, and system compromise due to poor input validation.

2. What is a process injection attack?

Process injection is the practice of inserting malicious code into the memory space of a valid process. It enables hackers to run their malicious code without being detected by security measures because the code runs in the context of a trusted application.

3. How common are injection attacks?

SQL injection continues to be a problem and often appears in lists of the top ten web application vulnerabilities. They are a large percentage of reported security incidents, which just shows that they will continue to be serious threats to organizations everywhere.

4. How can businesses prevent SQL injection and other injection attacks?

Businesses can prevent SQL injections by validating and sanitizing user inputs. They should use parameterized queries, restrict database access, and regularly update applications. Also, web application firewalls (WAFs) can add another layer of protection against these attacks.

5. How do attackers exploit web applications using injection techniques?

Web applications are susceptible to SQL injection techniques because attackers can simply key in malicious code into input fields. They discover weaknesses and ask questions that fool the database into performing tasks it should not be allowed to. This now will enable them to view information they should not be able to access or tamper with.