In what ways can the use of LIKE in a MySQL query impact the accuracy of ban checks in PHP scripts?

Using the LIKE operator in a MySQL query can impact the accuracy of ban checks in PHP scripts because it performs a partial match on the specified column. This means that it may return results that are similar but not exact matches to the banned user's information. To ensure accuracy, it is better to use the "=" operator for exact matches when checking for banned users in a database. 

// Fix for ban check using exact match
$username = "banned_user";
$password = "banned_password";

$query = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = :username AND password = :password";
$stmt = $pdo->prepare($query);
$stmt->bindParam(':username', $username);
$stmt->bindParam(':password', $password);
$stmt->execute();

if($stmt->rowCount() > 0) {
    // User is banned
    echo "You are banned.";
} else {
    // User is not banned
    echo "Welcome.";
}

Keywords

MySQL LIKE ban checks PHP scripts accuracy

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