T1190 – Exploit Public-Facing App (Imperva WAF Detection)

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Imperva WAF Alert Details

Alert ID: IMPERVA-WAF-EXPLOIT-7842
Alert Time: 2024-02-11 11:08:22 EST
Severity: CRITICAL (95/100)
Source: Imperva Web Application Firewall
Rule: “SQL Injection Attempt – Authentication Bypass”
MITRE ATT&CK: T1190 – Exploit Public-Facing Application

Alert Details:

Attack Details:

– Target: https://portal.company.com/login.php

– Source IP: 45.134.225[.]78 (DigitalOcean – Netherlands)

– Time: 11:05 – 11:08 EST

– Requests: 347 in 3 minutes

Payload Examples:

1. username=’ OR ‘1’=’1′ — &password=anything

2. username=admin’ UNION SELECT 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50 — &password=test

3. username=admin’ WAITFOR DELAY ’00:00:05′ — &password=test

4. username=admin’; EXEC xp_cmdshell ‘whoami’ — &password=test

WAF Actions:

– 342 requests BLOCKED (SQL injection signatures)

– 5 requests RATE-LIMITED (too many requests)

– 0 requests reached application

Additional Context:

– Application: Custom PHP login portal (public-facing)

– WAF Mode: Blocking (full prevention)

– Attack type: Automated SQL injection scanner (sqlmap)

– Source IP geolocation: Netherlands (no business presence)

– No previous legitimate traffic from this IP

SOC Investigation Process

StepActionTools UsedFindings
1. Alert ValidationVerify WAF logs and attack patternImperva ConsoleConfirmed automated SQL injection scan
2. Source AnalysisInvestigate attacker IPGreyNoise, AbuseIPDBIP known for SQLi scanning; 78 reports
3. Impact AssessmentCheck if any requests reached appWeb Server Logs, ImpervaAll malicious requests blocked; no successful exploitation
4. Application ReviewVerify app is not vulnerableDevelopment Team, Code ReviewApplication uses parameterized queries; not vulnerable
5. IP BlockingBlock attacker at WAF and firewallImperva, Palo AltoIP added to permanent blocklist
6. MonitoringEnhance detection for similar patternsImperva, SIEMCreated custom rule for this attack pattern

Jira Incident Report

Ticket: SOC-2024-058
Summary: T1190 – Automated SQL Injection Attempt on Public Login Portal
Status: RESOLVED
Resolution: MALICIOUS – Blocked by WAF
Priority: P2 – MEDIUM
Labels: T1190, exploit-public-app, sql-injection, waf, imperva
Components: Web-Security, Application-Security

INCIDENT ANALYSIS REPORT

1. Initial Context:

  • Detection Source: Imperva Web Application Firewall.
  • Alert: “SQL Injection Attempt – Authentication Bypass”.
  • Target: https://portal.company.com/login.php.
  • Source IP: 45.134.225[.]78 (Netherlands).
  • Time: 2024-02-11 11:05-11:08 EST.
  • Technique: MITRE ATT&CK T1190 – Exploit Public-Facing Application.

2. Technical Analysis:

  • Attack Details:
  • Tool: sqlmap (automated SQL injection scanner)
  • Requests: 347 in 3 minutes
  • Techniques attempted: Boolean-based blind, time-based blind, UNION query, stacked queries
  • Target: Login form parameters (username, password)
  • Payload Examples:
  • Authentication bypass: ‘ OR ‘1’=’1′ —
  • UNION extraction: admin’ UNION SELECT 1,2,3,4… —
  • Time-based: admin’ WAITFOR DELAY ’00:00:05′ —
  • Command execution: admin’; EXEC xp_cmdshell ‘whoami’ —
  • WAF Response:
  • 342 requests blocked (SQL injection signatures)
  • 5 requests rate-limited
  • 0 requests reached application
  • Application Security:
  • Verified with development team: application uses parameterized queries.
  • No SQL injection vulnerabilities present.
  • Attack would have failed even if reached app.
  • Source Analysis:
  • IP 45.134.225[.]78: DigitalOcean droplet, Netherlands
  • AbuseIPDB: 78 reports for SQLi, port scans
  • GreyNoise: Classified as “scanner” – malicious

3. Investigation Findings:

  • Timeline:

11:05 – Attack begins

11:05-11:08 – 347 requests sent

11:08 – Imperva alert triggers

11:10 – SOC investigation begins

11:15 – IP added to blocklists

11:20 – Attack stops (IP blocked)

  • Indicators of Compromise (IoCs):

Network:

– Source IP: 45.134.225[.]78

– Target: portal.company.com/login.php

Attack Patterns:

– SQL injection payloads as above

4. Containment Actions:

  • Immediate Actions:
  • Added source IP to Imperva IP blocklist.
  • Added IP to Palo Alto firewall blocklist.
  • Rate-limiting tightened for login endpoint.
  • Application Review:
  • Confirmed no vulnerability with development team.
  • Scheduled additional penetration test.

5. Root Cause Analysis:

  • Primary Cause: Automated attacker scanning for SQL injection vulnerabilities.
  • Contributing Factors: Public-facing application naturally attracts scanning.

6. Business Impact: None – all attacks blocked.

7. Remediation & Prevention:

Completed Actions:

  • checkedAttacker IP blocked.
  • checkedWAF rules confirmed effective.
  • checkedDevelopment team briefed.

8. Conclusion:

This incident involved an automated SQL injection scan targeting the public login portal. Imperva WAF blocked all malicious requests, and the application is not vulnerable. No compromise occurred.

Closure Rationale: Attack blocked; application secure; attacker IP added to blocklists.

Analyst: [Walter White], SOC Analyst
Date: 2024-02-11 12:00 EST

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