Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Blogs
    • Security Watch

    MySQL.com Hacked by SQL Injection Attack

    By
    Fahmida Y. Rashid
    -
    March 28, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      It doesn’t get any more ironic than this. The Web site for Oracle’s open source database MySQL has been hacked…by a SQL injection attack.

      Oracle’s MySQL.com customer Web site was compromised on March 27 by hackers who publicly posted usernames, database schemas and passwords obtained during the attack. The vulnerable domains included www.mysql.com, www.mysql.fr, www.mysql.de, www.mysql.it and www-jp.mysql.com.

      The attack used was a blind SQL injection, which means that when a SQL injection attack is used on a Web application, the results are not readily visible to the attackers. The page with the vulnerability would not display the compromised data, but will display slightly differently based on the injected SQL code. Blind injections are generally time-intensive because a new statement must be crafted for each bit recovered, but there are a number of tools that can automate the attack.

      The attackers e-mailed a list of all the internal databases and associated passwords (in hash) for mysql.com to the Full Disclosure mailing list. Rumanian hackers “TinKode” and “Ne0h,” took credit for the attack. Other hackers piled on, posting cracked passwords on Pastebin.

      The vulnerability doesn’t appear to be in the MySQL software, but rather in the way the sites were implemented, according to Chester Wisnewski, a senior security advisor at Sophos.

      There are appears to be plenty of problems with the MySQL Web site. A look at the latest reports on XSSed.com reveals that various MySQL domains have been reported as having cross-site-scripting flaws, the most recent one found in Jan. 4, by TinKode.

      According to the published list, MySQL ran about 47 databases on an Apache Web Server, and attackers were able to see individual table and column names. The attackers also published the hashed passwords for administrative accounts like webmaster, wordpress, root and for forums.

      Even though the passwords were in hash, anyone using publicly available rainbow tables can match dictionary-based words to the published hash values to crack any easy-to-guess login credentials. In fact, the hackers discovered that the former director of product management Robin Schumacher’s WordPress password was set to a four-digit number, according to Wisnewski. Several other accounts had simple passwords, such as “qa,” he wrote on the NakedSecurity blog.

      Schumacher is now director of product strategy at EnterpriseDB.

      Oracle acquired MySQL as part of its acquisition of Sun in April 2009.

      The ironies keep coming. Sun.com was also hit by the same hackers, who managed to obtain database names, but no passwords, using a separate SQL injection attack.

      Fahmida Y. Rashid

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×