We cannot use ORDER BY easily due to space filters, so we use UNION SELECT NULL . Payload: 1'/**/UnIoN/**/SeLeCt/**/NULL/**/aNd/**/1=2-- -
Security Shepherd is designed to guide learners through the OWASP Top Ten, the industry-standard list of the most critical web application security risks. Its challenges progressively increase in difficulty, taking users from foundational lessons to complex, multi-layered attack scenarios. Core topics include Broken Authentication, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), Insecure Direct Object References, and, of particular interest to this article, .
She chose . In the name field, she entered:
' AND (SELECT SUBSTRING(password,1,1) FROM users) = 'a sql+injection+challenge+5+security+shepherd+new
This comprehensive technical guide details the underlying mechanics, exploitation process, and mitigation strategies for SQL Injection Challenge 5. 🧭 Vulnerability Overview
But the injection point is inside the LIKE '%[injection]%' string. You need to .
SELECT member_id, username, department, email FROM members WHERE department = '[USER INPUT]' ORDER BY last_login DESC We cannot use ORDER BY easily due to
: If quotes are blocked, use 0x61646d696e instead of 'admin' . Remediation and Best Practices
However, the challenge hint explicitly mentions , confirming the back-end is Microsoft SQL Server with extended stored procedures enabled.
Submitting a single quote ( ' ) in the username field results in a generic error page or a blank response – no detailed SQL error is shown. This indicates: 🧭 Vulnerability Overview But the injection point is
' ORDER BY 3-- (Error!)If "3" causes an error, we know the original query selects . 3. Locate the Target Table and Column
: Ensure the database user account used by the web app has only the permissions it needs.
Have you solved this one recently? Did you use a different bypass method? Let me know in the comments!
: You are presented with a "VIP Coupon Check" or "Super Meme Shop" page with a Coupon Code field .
Ensure the database user account used by the application has the minimum privileges required. Conclusion