Taint Extension for Persistent Injection Attack Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Taint information is irrevocably lost when tainted data is persisted in an application's database, leading to security issues such as stored XSS or second-order code injection, as existing data tainting solutions do not preserve taint information beyond the taint-aware runtime.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a database connector with a taint extension that receives SQL requests, adds taint information to the data, and stores it within the database using shadow columns or tables, ensuring taint information is persisted alongside the data, and restored when retrieved, without requiring changes to the application's code base.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If taint information is not persisted in the database, then the database structure remains simple and compatible with existing applications, but taint information is lost when data leaves the taint-aware runtime
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces shadow columns as an intermediary mechanism to store taint information separately from the main data columns. These shadow columns act as mediators that preserve taint metadata without requiring changes to the application's data access patterns or core database structure, thus preventing information loss while minimizing structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the storage of data by separating it into two distinct components: the actual data stored in regular columns and the taint information stored in shadow columns. This segmentation allows taint information to be persisted independently without affecting the main database structure or requiring application code changes
2Reliability
If shadow columns are added to store taint information, then taint information can be persisted, but the database schema becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Shadow columns serve as intermediary storage structures that add persistence capability for taint information while maintaining a clear separation from the main data schema. This intermediary layer provides reliability for taint information storage without requiring complex integration with existing database operations or application logic
3Loss of information
If the application code base is modified to preserve taint information, then taint information can be maintained, but the ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides self-service functionality by automatically managing taint information persistence through the shadow column mechanism. The taint extension intercepts and processes SQL statements automatically, adding or removing shadow column operations without requiring application developers to manually modify their code to preserve taint information
Solution Approach 2:
The taint extension acts as an intermediary layer between the application and database, automatically handling taint information persistence through shadow columns. This intermediary handles the complexity of taint management transparently, allowing applications to maintain ease of operation while still achieving reliable taint information preservation
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and computer-readable storage media for receiving, by a database connector having a taint extension, a SQL request from an application, sending, by the taint extension, the SQL request to a SQL parser, receiving, by the taint extension, a structural representation of the SQL request from the SQL parser, adding, by the taint extension, taint information corresponding to data within the SQL request to provide an enhanced SQL statement, and transmitting, by the database connector, the enhanced SQL statement to a database for storing the taint information with the data.