SQL Injection Attacks Complete Guide

SQL Injection Attacks Complete Guide

SQL injection remains one of the most dangerous and prevalent web application vulnerabilities, despite being well-understood for over two decades. Imagine a library where visitors can write their own library cards—instead of just filling in their name, they could write instructions that give them access to restricted sections or even let them rewrite the library's rules. That's essentially what SQL injection allows attackers to do with your database.

This vulnerability occurs when applications directly include user input in SQL queries without proper sanitization or parameterization. Attackers exploit this by entering specially crafted input that breaks out of the intended query structure and executes arbitrary SQL commands. It's like a conversation where someone tricks you into saying something you didn't intend by cleverly finishing your sentences. The results can be catastrophic: data theft, data manipulation, complete system takeover, or destruction of entire databases.