How can beginners ensure the security of their PHP scripts when interacting with a database like PHPmyAdmin?

Beginners can ensure the security of their PHP scripts when interacting with a database like PHPmyAdmin by using prepared statements with parameterized queries to prevent SQL injection attacks. This involves binding parameters to placeholders in the SQL query, which helps sanitize user input and prevent malicious code execution.

// Establish a connection to the database
$pdo = new PDO('mysql:host=localhost;dbname=mydatabase', 'username', 'password');

// Prepare a SQL statement with a parameterized query
$stmt = $pdo->prepare('SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = :username');

// Bind the parameter to a variable
$stmt->bindParam(':username', $username);

// Execute the statement
$stmt->execute();

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