Sigma rule: Suspicious SQL Error Messages

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-bf8beb6c885b, updated 2023-02-12T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
Suspicious SQL Error Messages
Status
test
Level
high
Author
Bjoern Kimminich
Date
2017-11-27
Modified
2023-02-12
File
rules/application/sql/app_sqlinjection_errors.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects SQL error messages that indicate probing for an injection attack

Log source

product
sql
category
application
definition
Requirements: application error logs must be collected (with LOG_LEVEL ERROR and above)

Detection

keywords:
    # Oracle
    - quoted string not properly terminated
    # MySQL
    - You have an error in your SQL syntax
    # SQL Server
    - Unclosed quotation mark
    # SQLite
    - 'near "*": syntax error'
    - SELECTs to the left and right of UNION do not have the same number of result columns
condition: keywords

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • A syntax error in MySQL also occurs in non-dynamic (safe) queries if there is an empty in() clause, that may often be the case.

Tags

  • attack.initial-access
  • attack.t1190

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

References

  • http://www.sqlinjection.net/errors

Read on 2026-11-03T00:58:21.399Z under licence sigma-drl-1.1@d5f4c36a from https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/application/sql/app_sqlinjection_errors.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "Suspicious SQL Error Messages" by Bjoern Kimminich (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/application/sql/app_sqlinjection_errors.yml.
    Licensed under the Detection Rule License (DRL) 1.1: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/Detection-Rule-License

    Detection Rule License (DRL) 1.1

Cite this page

Dragons Eye Ransomware Tracker, "Sigma rule: Suspicious SQL Error Messages",
entity page, dataset version ref-bf8beb6c885b, updated 2023-02-12T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/8a670c6d-7189-4b1c-8017-a417ca84a086 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 8a670c6d-7189-4b1c-8017-a417ca84a086, commit ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84.

Pages change. The dataset version identifies the data, but no archive of old versions is kept, so this citation cannot be replayed later.