SQL Injection — When User Input Becomes a Database Command

SQL injection is the granddaddy of web security vulnerabilities. It's been around for over 25 years, it held the #1 spot on the OWASP Top 10 for years and remains a critical threat today — because developers still make the same fundamental mistake.

The good news: it's completely preventable. And if you're using modern tools, you might already be protected without knowing it.

The Bobby Tables Problem

There's a famous XKCD comic where a school calls a mother about her son, Robert'); DROP TABLE Students;-- (nicknamed "Bobby Tables"). The joke is that the school's database was vulnerable to SQL injection through the student name field.

Let's break down why this works.

Normal SQL Query

When a user searches for a product, your code might build a query like this:

SELECT * FR