There are many different site vulnerabilities that can leave your site open to attack. Injection is just one of them. Injection occurs when user-supplied data is manipulated in order to change the back-end SQL statement. This can allow an attacker access to sensitive data or even take control of your site. There are several ways to prevent injection attacks, and we'll discuss some of them here. But first, let's take a look at some examples of websites that were vulnerable to injection attacks.
Yahoo!
One well-known example is the Yahoo! breach in 2014. Attackers were able to inject SQL code into the site's search function, which allowed them to access user information such as names, email addresses, and birth dates. Another example is the 2013 breach of Target. In this case, attackers injected SQL code into Target's website which allowed them to collect credit and debit card numbers from customers. In the Yahoo! case, at least 500 million people were affected and at least 110 million people were affected in the Target case.
JP Morgan Chase
Another example of an injection attack is the 2013 breach of JP Morgan Chase. In this case, attackers inserted SQL code into the site's login function, which allowed them to gain access to user information such as names and addresses. The personal information of 76 million customers has been compromised in this case alone.
How to Protect Yourself
So how can you protect your site from being hacked? One way is to use prepared statements when querying your database. This ensures that only the intended SQL statement is executed, and prevents any malicious input from being executed. You should also validate all user input to ensure that it doesn't contain any harmful code. And finally, you should always use the latest version of your software, as older versions may contain vulnerabilities that have since been fixed.
Keeping your site secure is important, and it's something that you should take seriously. Taking steps to prevent injection attacks is one way to stay ahead of site vulnerabilities. If you're not sure how to protect your site from injection attacks, if you have other site vulnerabilities, or if you need help implementing the measures we've talked about, then you should contact a website security specialist. We can help you ensure that your site is safe and secure and that you stay up-to-date with the latest security measures.
