Are there any potential issues with using the 'like' operator in a MySQL query to filter data based on specific criteria in PHP?

When using the 'like' operator in a MySQL query to filter data based on specific criteria in PHP, one potential issue is SQL injection if the user input is not properly sanitized. To solve this issue, it is important to use prepared statements with parameterized queries to prevent SQL injection attacks.

// Assuming $searchTerm is the user input to be used in the query
$searchTerm = $_POST['searchTerm'];

// Prepare a SQL statement using a prepared statement
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM table_name WHERE column_name LIKE :searchTerm");

// Bind the parameter and execute the query
$stmt->execute(['searchTerm' => '%' . $searchTerm . '%']);

// Fetch the results
$results = $stmt->fetchAll();