Are there any potential pitfalls to be aware of when allowing users to input SQL queries in a PHP file?

Allowing users to input SQL queries directly in a PHP file can lead to SQL injection attacks, where malicious users can manipulate the query to access or modify sensitive data in the database. To prevent this, you should always sanitize and validate user input before executing any SQL queries. 

$user_input = $_POST['user_input']; // assuming user input is received via POST method

// Sanitize and validate user input
$safe_input = mysqli_real_escape_string($connection, $user_input);

// Execute the SQL query using the sanitized input
$query = "SELECT * FROM table WHERE column = '$safe_input'";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

// Process the query result
// (add your code here)

Keywords

SQL injection security vulnerabilities prepared statements PDO input validation

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