Databases for hackers

Why Databases Are Important In Offensive Security

Databases get often overlooked by beginners in cybersecurity. Databases are often critical targets and play a huge role in organization’s IT infrastructure and a prime target for hackers. Here’s why:

1. Databases are high-value targets
   • Databases hold sensitive data. If compromised, can lead to severe financial, reputational, and operational damage.
2. Common Attack Surface
   • Databases can be attacked via vulnerabilities such as:
     • SQL Injection (SQLi).
     • Unpatched vulnerabilities in database software.
     • Misconfigurations.

Now that we understand their value, let’s explore how hackers actually use databases once they’ve gained access.

How Would Hackers Use A Database?

Once a hacker gains access to a database, their objectives can vary widely, but they typically revolve around:

1. Data Exfiltration: The most common goal is to steal sensitive information. Exfiltrated data can be sold on dark web markets, used for identity theft, or leveraged for further attacks.
2. Data Manipulation and Corruption:
   • Tampering: Modifying records for financial fraud disrupting operations, or defacing public-facing data.
   • Destruction: Deleting or encrypting entire databases (as seen in ransomware attacks) to extort money or simply cause maximum damage and disruption.
3. Privilege Escalation and Lateral Movement:
   • A compromised database can be a stepping stone. Hackers might use vulnerabilities in the database software to escalate privileges on the database server itself, potentially gaining root or administrative access to the underlying operating system.
   • From there, they can move laterally across the network, targeting other critical systems, deploying additional malware, or establishing persistent backdoors.
4. Establishing Persistence:
   • Creating new user accounts with elevated privileges within the database.
   • Modifying existing accounts to grant themselves backdoor access.
   • Deploying malicious stored procedures, functions, or triggers within the database to ensure continued access even if initial entry points are discovered and closed.

     Understanding How Databases Work Helps Exploit Them Better

Database Basics

What Is A Database?

A database is a system for storing, retrieving and organizing structured data. Software that is called Database Management System is used to manage the interaction between the end-user and the database.

Why Use A Database?

Databases are essential for storing large amounts of data in one place in a reliable and organized manner.

Benefits And Challenges Of Databases.

Benefits

• Improved data sharing: Multiple users and applications can access the same data simultaneously.
• Improved data security: DBMSes provide robust security features for access control and encryption.
• Improved data access: Data can be quickly retrieved and queried using structured languages (SQL).
• Better data integration: Centralized storage reduces data fragmentation and improves consistency.
• Minimized data inconsistency: Ensures data accuracy and reliability across the system.
• Data integrity: Rules and constraints can be enforced to maintain the quality of data.
• Data backup and recovery: DBMSes offer mechanisms for disaster recovery.

  Challenges

• Complexity: Designing, configuring, and managing databases can be complex, requiring specialized skills.
• Cost: Database software, hardware, and administration can be expensive, especially for large-scale or high-performance systems.
• Performance Tuning: Optimizing databases for performance requires ongoing effort and expertise.
• Scalability: While databases are designed to scale, achieving high scalability efficiently can be challenging.
• Security: Despite built-in security features, databases remain attractive targets and require continuous vigilance against evolving threats.

  Database Design

  Database design defines the databases expected use, different approaches are used for different types of databases. Database design helps avoid data redundancy and ensure the data integrity of the data stored in that database.

  Phases of Database Design

  1. Requirements Gathering
  • Understand what data needs to be stored.
    1. Conceptual Design
  • Use Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERD) to design database.
    1. Logical Design
  • Map entities and relationships to tables and columns, define primary keys, foreign keys and constraints.
  • Choose a data model.
    1. Normalization
  • Organize data to reduce redundancy and improve integrity.
  • Normal Foms:
    • 1NF: No repeating groups
    • 2NF: No partial dependencies
    • 3NF: NO transitive dependencies
      1. Physical Design
  • Define indexes, partitions, data types, and storage.
  • Optimize for performance

    Final Thoughts

    Understanding how databases work and the challenges they come with gives offensive security practioners a serious advantage. Database are often the most valuable asset in a system. Knowing how to design, build, find, analyze and exploit them can elevate your skiilset.