SQL Injection Prevention Guidelines For Developers
One of the biggest flaws in the PHP language is the fact that it allows for web developers to make very big mistakes in regards to security. One example of this is through SQL injections- an exploit that malicious users take advantage of when web developers don’t accurately safeguard their application.
An SQL injection attack is, simply put, a vulnerability in the SQL query that programmers unwittingly leave wide open. When a web developer calls an SQL query, he or she will commonly forget to escape quotes that the user might input. Users might input text such as “MyVariable’ OR 1=1–” ; this line will actually give the malicious user to your database!
Magic quotes have long helped web developers secure their SQL query statements. But as it stands today, this function is depreciated and no longer in use. Magic quotes have received a bad reputation since they do escape quotes- but they do so on the entire input, and not necessarily just a certain field we need to escape. Magic quotes are a hassle, and can even lead to performance issues. Thus, developers tend to ignore them.
Using the “mysql_real_escape_string()” function will enable web developers to escape quotes properly. And unlike magic quotes, this function will only escape quotes that we need. Keep in mind that when using this function, it may be necessary to use the “striplslashes()” function to counteract the slashes that are being outputted as a result.
Oddly enough, we can create a greater sense of security through creating more user accounts via our SQL program. We can assign different types of access to different users, which would make it quite hard for attackers to get full access to our database should they find a hole somewhere. Having a user for creating, deleting, and inserting data is a good idea to help split up responsibility.
It should be noted that programs and web applications that stop SQL injections should not be obtained- since they commonly cost quite a bit of money. As long as webmasters take precautions with what they create, there should be no reason to spend hundreds of dollars on software that only makes use of escape characters and formatting data correctly. This type of application is created to con webmasters into buying something they don’t need- so dont fall victim to them!
In Conclusion
SQL injections are never a pretty sight. They ruin databases, can be a security risk to users of the website, and they even can destroy entire websites. Thus, it’s good to either hire developers that know what they are doing or to brush up on some security topics by one’s self. Doing so can save a world of hurt for a webmaster, as well as quite a bit of money from not having to buy mock applications that claim to do the “hard work” for webmasters. In the end, it’s recommended developers pick up a good book or visit their favorite PHP security websites to stay informed.
Tags: computer technology