What are the drawbacks of using the LIKE operator in a SQL query for password validation in PHP applications?

Using the LIKE operator for password validation in SQL queries can lead to potential security vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection attacks. It is recommended to use prepared statements with parameterized queries to prevent these risks and ensure secure password validation in PHP applications. 

// Using prepared statements for secure password validation
$username = $_POST['username'];
$password = $_POST['password'];

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

$user = $stmt->fetch();

if ($user) {
    // Password validation successful
} else {
    // Password validation failed
}

Keywords

LIKE operator SQL query password validation PHP applications drawbacks

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