Validating and sanitizing user input
We covered attacks leveraging user input in Chapter 5. Validating and sanitizing user input is paramount to prevent injection attacks, such as SQL injection, XSS, and command injection. In Python, frameworks such as Django and Flask provide built-in validation tools, but developers must ensure that they use them correctly. For instance, relying on raw SQL queries without parameterized inputs can lead to SQL injection. Instead, use Object Relational Mapper (ORM) methods that automatically handle parameterization. The Python code that follows shows the slight difference of using parameters:
# How you do an insecure SQL query
cursor.execute("SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = '%s'" % user_id)
# A secure approach by using parameterized queries
cursor.execute("SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = %s", (user_id,)) In Java, using libraries such as Hibernate can help prevent injection attacks by utilizing Hibernate Query Language...
