SQL injection
Input that changes the meaning of a database query because it was pasted into the SQL text instead of passed as a parameter.
If a query is built as text with the user’s input inside, a crafted value can close the string and add its own SQL: read other users’ data, bypass a login, delete tables. Parameterized queries and most ORMs send data separately from the query, which removes the problem. It still appears in raw queries, dynamic sorting and search filters.
Related terms
- OWASP Top 10: The OWASP Foundation’s list of the ten most critical web application security risks, updated every few years.
- Runtime validation (Zod): Checking at run time that data from outside (requests, APIs, files, models) matches the type your code assumes.
- RCE (remote code execution): A vulnerability that lets an attacker run their own code on your server or device over the network.
