Injection Attacks Explained (OWASP A03)

Injection attacks occur when untrusted input is sent to an interpreter, allowing attackers to execute malicious commands. This is one of the most dangerous vulnerabilities in web applications.

By NextGen Securities • 12 min read

What is an Injection Attack?

An injection attack happens when an application includes untrusted data in a command or query. Attackers can manipulate this input to execute unintended actions.

Types of Injection Attacks

SQL Injection
Command Injection
LDAP Injection
XML Injection

SQL Injection Example

Consider a login form that queries a database:

SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = 'admin' AND password = '1234';

An attacker might input:

' OR '1'='1

This bypasses authentication and grants access.

Why Injection is Dangerous

Unauthorized data access
Database manipulation
Complete system compromise

How to Prevent Injection Attacks

Use prepared statements
Validate user input
Use parameterized queries
Apply least privilege principles

Conclusion

Injection attacks remain one of the most critical web security vulnerabilities. Developers must validate and sanitize all user inputs to prevent these attacks.

Injection Attacks Explained (OWASP A03)

What is an Injection Attack?

Types of Injection Attacks

SQL Injection Example

Why Injection is Dangerous

How to Prevent Injection Attacks

Conclusion

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