How to prevent sql injection vulnerabilities in php applications?

@lindsey.homenick 

There are several ways to prevent SQL injection vulnerabilities in PHP applications:

1. Use prepared statements and parameterized queries: Prepared statements allow you to use placeholders for user-supplied data, and the database will automatically escape the data to prevent SQL injection.
2. Use stored procedures: Stored procedures allow you to encapsulate complex SQL logic in the database, which can reduce the risk of SQL injection by reducing the amount of dynamic SQL in your application.
3. Validate and sanitize user input: Make sure to validate and sanitize any user-supplied data before using it in a SQL query. This can help prevent attackers from injecting malicious input into your application.
4. Use a web application firewall: A web application firewall (WAF) can help protect your application from SQL injection attacks by detecting and blocking malicious requests.
5. Regularly update and patch your application: Keep your application and all its dependencies up to date with the latest security patches. This can help prevent attackers from exploiting known vulnerabilities.
6. Use an ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) library: ORM libraries provide an additional layer of abstraction between your application and the database, which can help reduce the risk of SQL injection.

By following these best practices, you can help protect your PHP application from SQL injection vulnerabilities and keep your users' data safe.