How to prevent sql injection attacks in php?

@hal.littel 

There are several ways to prevent SQL injection attacks in PHP:

1. Use prepared statements and parameterized queries: Prepared statements and parameterized queries help prevent SQL injection attacks by separating the data being inputted by the user from the SQL code. This ensures that the user-supplied data is treated as data, not as part of the SQL code.
2. Escape special characters: You can escape special characters in user-supplied data using the mysql_real_escape_string() function in PHP. This function escapes special characters in the user-supplied data, making it more difficult for attackers to inject malicious code.
3. Validate user input: You can validate user input to ensure that it meets certain criteria. For example, you can check that a user-supplied email address is in the correct format or that a password meets certain length and complexity requirements.
4. Use whitelisting: You can use whitelisting to ensure that only certain characters or data types are allowed in user-supplied data. This can help prevent malicious code from being injected into your database.
5. Limit access to the database: You can limit access to the database to only trusted users and applications. This can help prevent unauthorized access to the database and reduce the risk of SQL injection attacks.

By following these best practices, you can help protect your PHP application and database from SQL injection attacks.