How can SQL injection attacks be prevented in PHP code that interacts with a database?

SQL injection attacks can be prevented in PHP code by using prepared statements with parameterized queries. This approach separates SQL code from user input, preventing malicious SQL commands from being executed. By binding parameters to placeholders in the SQL query, the database engine can distinguish between code and data, effectively thwarting SQL injection attacks.

// 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 the placeholder
$stmt->bindParam(':username', $_POST['username']);

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

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