Understanding SQL Injections: Using Databricks DBRX for Protection

DISCLAIMER : “Article is intended to educate IT developers on possible SQL injection scenarios and Databricks is utilized solely for demonstrating SQL injection scenarios”

SQL injection is a malicious technique used by attackers to exploit vulnerabilities in web applications that use SQL databases. It involves inserting or "injecting" malicious SQL code into input fields or query parameters of an application's interface, with the intent of manipulating the database or accessing sensitive information. The core idea behind SQL injection is that when web applications dynamically construct SQL queries using user-supplied input without proper validation or sanitization, attackers can manipulate this input to alter the logic of the SQL query. This can lead to unauthorized access to data, modification of data, or even the execution of arbitrary commands on the databases.

Have you ever wondered why certain special characters are restricted in usernames? Let's imagine a situation where you have a database table storing usernames and passwords. While this scenario may not be practical in real life due to the implementation of encryption and multi-factor authentication (MFA), it helps to illustrate the potential issue.

Let's explore how such injections are done in SQL queries :

Scenario 1: Even if you utilize variables or parameterization in your query but not in correct process, you may still encounter the efficiency with which someone can inject the "OR 1=1" condition into your code. This vulnerability could compromise your data with relative ease.

Result 1: "OR 1=1"  condition is always true, and your restricted data remains compromised, albeit with limited access, as the "AND" clause has safeguarded it to some extent.

Scenario 2: Utilizing "OR 1 = 1" with commenting out the subsequent code.

Result 2: Your entire dataset is compromised because the "AND" clause no longer safeguards it, allowing for injection by commenting out subsequent code.

Scenario 3: LIKE '%’ Condition: These queries are commonly employed in searching for data matching user inputs, such as searching for items on an e-commerce site.

Result 3: Entire dataset is compromised because the "AND" clause no longer safeguards it, allowing for injection by commenting out subsequent code.

Scenario 4: "OR 1=1"  combined with a "DROP TABLE" statement at the end.

Result 4: Entire dataset is compromised, as the table is also dropped due to the injection of the "OR 1 = 1" statement along with the "DROP TABLE" code, considering hacker knows or guessed the table name correctly

But in all above cases good querying skills can indeed prevent some of these injections, but not necessarily all. The key takeaway here is that proper filtering and structuring of clauses, particularly placing input variable clauses at the end, can help mitigate the risk of data compromise. Additionally, having least privilege access can play a crucial role, especially in scenarios like Scenario 4 where sensitive operations like dropping tables are involved.

Now let’s find out if Databricks DBRX can be utilized to detect and prevent such security injection vulnerabilities. Here is a straightforward code snippet to provide context for DBRX.

Here are the outcomes reflecting DBRX's response :

Scenario 1: DBRX detected the sql injection !

Scenario 2: DBRX detected the sql injection even suggested how parameterization needs to be done !

Scenario 3: DBRX detected the sql injection even detected like ‘%’ wildcard !

Scenario 4: DBRX detected the sql injection even detected this could lead potential drop of table !

Utilizing LLM models such as DBRX, ChatGPT in combination with proficient SQL abilities can enhance protection against SQL injections significantly. A noteworthy advantage is the abundance of publicly available SQL injection detection codes, such as sqlmap We can even attempt to train a basic LLM model using this codebase to our defenses. 

Also, such injections can be significantly prevented by using correct parameterized queries, But as per my observation most of the time developer skip the correct parameterizing concepts and may land up in difficult satiations, I will cover this separately someday :)

Interested in experiencing the impact of a real SQL injection? Give Altoro Mutual (testfire.net) a try and inform me if you're able to gain access. 

If you want to try sql injection in backend REST API you can try Swagger UI (testfire.net)