What are the potential pitfalls of using the same names for form fields and database fields in PHP applications?

Using the same names for form fields and database fields in PHP applications can lead to confusion and potential security vulnerabilities, as it may allow attackers to manipulate form data to access or modify sensitive database fields. To mitigate this risk, it is recommended to use different names for form fields and database fields, and sanitize and validate user input before processing it. 

// Example of using different names for form fields and database fields
$formUsername = $_POST['username'];
$formPassword = $_POST['password'];

// Sanitize and validate user input before processing
$cleanUsername = filter_var($formUsername, FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);
$cleanPassword = filter_var($formPassword, FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);

// Use the sanitized input in database queries
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = :username AND password = :password");
$stmt->bindParam(':username', $cleanUsername);
$stmt->bindParam(':password', $cleanPassword);
$stmt->execute();

Keywords

form fields database fields naming conflicts SQL injection data validation

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