Anytime a value is placed on something, one has to note that at some point in time others may want it. Not only will someone want it, but someone might use covert methods to obtain it. This of course not foreign to the web and the vast amount of valuable information it contains. A malicious hacker may be trying to obtain passwords, pin numbers, credit card information, and the like. While there are various methods that these hackers can use, one that has a noted increase is SQL injection.

Put simply, a SQL injection is an injection of code into a website’s software that will allow the hacker access to information. These injections are done by user input that tricks the database and there by allows malicious code to provide a path to the sensitive information. With any form of attack, it’s important to know what can be done to protect one’s self from such an attack. Since the injection is done into the website itself, the security of the information falls on the owner of the site. How can a site prevent SQL injections and maintain the integrity of its users’ information?

Data Validation

Since input is the source of these injections, one good practice is to validate the data being entered. If user input limited to certain character types and lengths, then it becomes more difficult to place an injection because the format is fixed. In some cases sites do not actually check input. To be clear on the input it would help to be sure that an email address is an email address, or that a phone number is indeed a phone number.

Query Parameters

The input is what starts a query to the database, so it is also suggested that queries be parameterized. If access to the sensitive information is limited to a certain path of code or commands, then the introduction of an injection to the database will be turned away since not all query forms are allowed.

Limit User Privileges

User accounts have privileges to access the database for various types of information, so another aid in stopping injections would be to limit the database privileges of user accounts. If a user only needs access to certain information stored on the database, then there is no reason to give them free roaming of the entire database and all it contains.

These are just a few of the suggested things that can help in stopping SQL injections. With the growth of Big Data and the money being thrown at it, startups should be factoring in the security of the large amount of information that they will be managing. The personal information of users is of great import and should not be neglected.