I keep reading about sites being hacked. And the vulnerability is SQL. How do they gain access to the data bases. I just want to know because im starting a I.T course soon and I want to understand as much as possible before I start.
Thank You in advance
SQL stands for Structured Query Language. This is a language used to retrieve data from databases.
SQL itself is not a vulnerability; the vulnerability is badly written SQL.
In particular, one of the most common problems is called SQL Injection. If you don’t have a programming background, this may be difficult to explain, but the basic idea is that a program is using user input as part of an SQL query directly. An attacker can use this to manipulate the SQL that is executed on the server. Depending on how badly the query is set up, this may allow the attacker to do anything from steal data he shouldn’t be able to see, to damage or edit data he shouldn’t be able to edit.
Fortunately, there are very easy ways to defend against SQL Injection attacks in most programming languages and environments. As one programmer once remarked, preventing SQL Injection attacks is roughly as difficult as sitting on a couch. However, to do this, the programmer has to know that SQL Injection exists, and know that he should be taking steps to prevent it. Many beginning programmers, especially self-taught ones, won’t know this.
