Hidden commands in your input fields
The fields where users type can become a channel for issuing commands to your system. It's an old, well-known flaw — and still one of the most dangerous when the app is built without review.
What it is
Your app expects the user to type a name, an email, a search term. Injection happens when, instead of treating that as text, the system runs what was typed as if it were one of its own commands.
- Text turning into an orderA search field should look up "John." In the flaw, someone types a disguised command and the system obeys it.
- The database is the targetThe most common case hits the database: the injected command reads, alters, or deletes information it shouldn't.
- Too much trustThe root cause is the system trusting whatever came from outside, without separating "user data" from "my instructions."
How an attacker uses it
The attacker probes fields with crafted inputs and watches how the system reacts. When one works, they push deeper.
- Probes the fieldsThey type special sequences into searches, logins, and forms to see which one "obeys."
- Escalates accessFrom one vulnerable field, they move on to read the whole database, bypass the login, or even run commands on the server.
- Takes over from withinIn the worst case, injection turns into control of the system — and from there the damage is only a matter of time.
Where it usually shows up
It shows up anywhere the system combines what the user typed with one of its own instructions without the right care.
- Searches and filtersSearch and filter fields that build the database query with the user's text spliced into the middle.
- Logins and formsEntry screens where what was typed becomes part of a check against the database.
- Code built fastAI tends to build the query by "gluing text together," which is exactly the vulnerable way to do it.
How we find and fix it
We test the fields with the same inputs an attacker would use, find the ones that obey, and help you change how the system handles anything that comes from outside.
- We test the inputsWe probe each field with known injection sequences to see which ones the system actually runs.
- We find the sourceWe trace where user data mixes with a command and becomes an executed instruction.
- We separate data from ordersWe help you adopt the safe approach (parameterized queries), where what the user types can never become a command.
Is one of these your pain?
Tell us your case — in the scoping call we confirm whether it can be automated and show you the upside before you decide. No obligation.
Start a project