Microsoft on Tuesday released SQL injection defense and detection tools designed to help developers fight attacks on Web sites that use ASP and ASP.Net technologies.

The tools include URLScan 3.0, which is in beta release, and Microsoft Source Code Analyzer for SQL Injection (MSCASI), available as a Community Technology Preview. Additionally, HP on Tuesday released Scrawlr, a SQL injection detection tool developed by the HP Web Security Research Group and Microsoft.

Developed to help battle recent SQL injection attacks as per a Microsoft Security Advisory bulletin, the tools are intended to help developers build more secure code and promote a more trusted ecosystem, Microsoft said.

In the bulletin, Microsoft cited a rise in SQL injection attacks exploiting unverified user data input; when these attacks succeed, an attacker can compromise data stored in databases and possibly execute remote code. Clients browsing to a compromised server could be forwarded to malicious sites that may install malware on the client machine.

"Microsoft is aware of a recent escalation in a class of attacks targeting Web sites that use Microsoft ASP and ASP.NET technologies but do not follow best practices for secure Web application development. These SQL injection attacks do not exploit a specific software vulnerability but instead target Web sites that do not follow secure coding practices for accessing and manipulating data stored in a relational database," the bulletin said.

A Microsoft engineer emphasized the complementary nature of the three tools.

"Each of these tools works differently and each attacks the SQL injection problem from a different angle and in combination they complement each other well," said Bryan Sullivan, an engineer with Microsoft's Security Development Lifecycle team. 

MSCASI analyzes ASP source code to find potential vulnerabilities. First- and second-order SQL injection bugs can be detected and the exact line of affected source code will be revealed.

UrlScan 3.0 updates the existing URLScan IIS filter tool, blocking HTTP requests that contain suspicious text such as SQL keywords. Scrawlr is described as a black-box analysis tool that does not access source code but, after being given the URL of a Web application, will analyze the application for SQL injection vulnerabilities.

The tools and security advisory can be accessed here.