Resolve vulnerability: Improper neutralization of special elements used in an SQL command ('SQL Injection')

MR created from vulnerability: Improper neutralization of special elements used in an SQL command ('SQL Injection')

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Description:

Potential SQL Injection vulnerability detected in JDBC Statement execution. SQL Injection is a critical security vulnerability that occurs when an attacker can manipulate a SQL query. Using raw SQL queries with string concatenation or untrusted user input directly in the Statement methods can expose your application to SQL Injection attacks.

To mitigate SQL Injection vulnerabilities, use PreparedStatement with parameterized queries. This ensures that user input is treated as data and not executable code.

Secure Code Example:

import java.sql.Connection;
import java.sql.PreparedStatement;
import java.sql.ResultSet;
import java.sql.SQLException;

public class UserDao {
    private Connection connection;

    public UserDao(Connection connection) {
        this.connection = connection;
    }

    public void getUserByUsername(String username) throws SQLException {
        String sql = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = ?";
        try (PreparedStatement pstmt = connection.prepareStatement(sql)) {
            pstmt.setString(1, username);
            ResultSet rs = pstmt.executeQuery();
            while (rs.next()) {
                // Process the result
            }
        }
    }
}

• Severity: high
• Location: src/main/java/org/owasp/webgoat/lessons/sqlinjection/advanced/SqlInjectionChallenge.java:57

Analysis:

The vulnerability report correctly identifies a SQL injection vulnerability in the code. The issue occurs in the registerNewUser method where user-supplied input (username) is directly concatenated into a SQL query string without proper sanitization or parameterization.

Key points:

1. The code uses string concatenation ("select userid from sql_challenge_users where userid = '" + username + "'") which makes it vulnerable to SQL injection
2. The vulnerability is classified as CWE-89 (SQL Injection) and falls under OWASP A03:2021 - Injection
3. While the code already uses PreparedStatement for the INSERT operation, it doesn't for the SELECT query
4. This is not a false positive - the vulnerability is real and exploitable

Summary:

1. Reported Vulnerability: SQL Injection vulnerability due to concatenation of user input (username) directly into a SQL query string.

2. Fix Implemented:

   • Replaced the string concatenation with a parameterized query using PreparedStatement
   • Used setString() to safely bind the user input as a parameter
   • Maintained the same functionality while eliminating the SQL injection risk

3. Security Improvement:

   • The fix ensures user input is treated as data rather than executable SQL code
   • Follows the recommended practice from the vulnerability report
   • Matches the secure coding pattern already used elsewhere in the same method (for the INSERT operation)

Identifiers:

• A1:2017 - Injection
• SAST Rules ID - java_inject_rule-SqlInjection
• A03:2021 - Injection
• CWE-89
• java-jdbc-sqli-taint