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Labs

Respond to a Data Leak

In this lab, you’ll practice responding to a PostgreSQL database breach. When you’re finished, you’ll have the skills to analyze logs, identify the root cause, and implement security measures to prevent future breaches.

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Lab Info
Rating
(38)
Level
Beginner
Last updated
Aug 05, 2025
Duration
1h 0m

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Table of Contents
  1. Challenge

    Getting Started in the Lab Environment

    Here are the initial instructions and explanation of the lab environment. Read this while your environment is busy creating itself from nothing. Yes, this violates physics; we know. How fun!

  2. Challenge

    Triage and Collect Artifacts

    To start things off, you will conduct an incident response investigation on a compromised PostgreSQL database server by collecting and analyzing forensic artifacts. You will extract PostgreSQL logs and audit logs, transfer them to an analytics server, and use pgBadger to generate reports that reveal unauthorized access and malicious activities.

  3. Challenge

    Forensic Analysis and Root Cause Determination

    In this challenge, you need to analyze the collected artifacts using pgBadger and Auditd. Your goal is to determine how the attacker exploited the database, what actions were taken, and whose credentials were compromised.

  4. Challenge

    System Recovery and Fix Implementation

    To finish up, you will implement system recovery measures to restore the integrity of the compromised PostgreSQL database. Your tasks include removing unauthorized modifications, revoking excessive privileges, securing credentials, and hardening network access. By the end of this challenge, you will have mitigated the attack’s impact, and ensured the database environment is secure.

  5. Challenge

    The Last Challenge

    Welcome to the final challenge! This is your last chance to experiment in the environment. Clicking Finish Lab will end this little world that flittered into existence just for you.

About the author

Sahil Gupta is highly skilled in Product Security, specializing in DevSecOps and Application Security. They are passionate about enhancing security posture & delivering robust and secure solutions.

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