SQL injection protection via ORM in Django - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to safely filter users by username using Django ORM.

Django

users = User.objects.filter(username=[1])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Araw_sql

Busername

C"john"

DUser.username

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using raw SQL strings directly in filter

Passing variable names without quotes

The Django ORM safely handles string values in filter to prevent SQL injection.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to safely get a user by id using Django ORM.

Django

user = User.objects.get(id=[1])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A42

Buser_id

C"42"

Did

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Passing unescaped strings

Using raw SQL in get()

Passing an integer literal directly is safe and prevents injection.

3fill in blank

hard

Complete the code to safely filter users by email using Django ORM.

Django

users = User.objects.filter(email=[1])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Arequest.GET['email']

Brequest.GET.get('email')

Cf"{request.GET['email']}"

D"[e-mail]"

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using undefined variables like request.GET['email']

Using f-strings with undefined variables

Using a string literal in the ORM filter is safe against SQL injection because the ORM automatically parameterizes queries.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to safely filter users with age greater than 18 and username equals 'alice'.

Django

users = User.objects.filter(age__[1]=18, username=[2])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Agt

Blt

C"alice"

D"bob"

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'lt' instead of 'gt'

Not quoting string values

Use 'gt' for greater than and a quoted string for username to prevent injection.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a safe query that excludes users with is_active False, filters by last_name 'Smith', and orders by 'date_joined'.

Django

users = User.objects.exclude(is_active=[1]).filter(last_name=[2]).order_by([3])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AFalse

B"Smith"

C"date_joined"

DTrue

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Quoting boolean values

Passing unquoted field names to order_by

Use boolean False without quotes, quote string values, and pass field names as strings to order_by.

Practice

1. Which of the following best explains how Django ORM protects against SQL injection?

easy

A. It automatically escapes user inputs when building queries.

B. It disables all user inputs by default.

C. It requires manual escaping of inputs in queries.

D. It converts all queries to raw SQL strings.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Django ORM query building

   Django ORM builds SQL queries by safely escaping user inputs automatically.

2. Step 2: Compare options with ORM behavior

   Only automatic escaping matches Django ORM's protection against SQL injection.

3. Final Answer:

   It automatically escapes user inputs when building queries. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Django ORM auto-escapes inputs = C [OK]

Hint: Remember: ORM escapes inputs automatically to prevent injection [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking ORM disables inputs
• Believing manual escaping is needed
• Assuming ORM uses raw SQL strings

2. Which Django ORM method is safe to use for filtering records with user input?

easy

A. Model.objects.raw(f"SELECT * FROM table WHERE name = '{user_input}'")

B. Model.objects.filter("name = " + user_input)

C. Model.objects.filter(name=user_input)

D. Model.objects.execute_sql("SELECT * FROM table WHERE name = " + user_input)

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify safe ORM filtering syntax

   Model.objects.filter(name=user_input) uses ORM's parameter binding and escapes input safely.

2. Step 2: Analyze other options for unsafe practices

   Options A, B, and C build raw SQL strings or invalid syntax, risking injection.

3. Final Answer:

   Model.objects.filter(name=user_input) -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use filter() with keyword args for safe queries = D [OK]

Hint: Use filter() with keyword arguments, not raw SQL strings [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using raw SQL with string concatenation
• Passing raw SQL strings to filter()
• Ignoring ORM's parameter binding

3. What will be the output of this Django ORM query if user_input = "Robert'); DROP TABLE users;--"?

users = User.objects.filter(username=user_input)
print(users.query)

medium

A. A raw SQL query that deletes the users table

B. An empty query with no filtering

C. A syntax error due to unescaped quotes

D. A safe SQL query with escaped input preventing injection

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand ORM query with dangerous input

   ORM escapes dangerous characters in user_input to prevent SQL injection.

2. Step 2: Analyze printed query behavior

   Printed query shows safe SQL with escaped input, not raw injection or errors.

3. Final Answer:

   A safe SQL query with escaped input preventing injection -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   ORM escapes dangerous input = B [OK]

Hint: ORM escapes dangerous input, so injection won't happen [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming raw SQL runs as is
• Expecting syntax errors from quotes
• Thinking ORM ignores dangerous input

4. Identify the error in this Django ORM code that tries to prevent SQL injection:

query = "SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = '%s'" % user_input
users = User.objects.raw(query)

medium

A. The raw() method automatically escapes inputs, so no error.

B. Using raw SQL with string formatting allows SQL injection.

C. The filter() method should be used instead of raw().

D. The query string is missing parameter placeholders.

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze string formatting with user input

   Using % formatting inserts user_input directly, risking SQL injection.

2. Step 2: Understand raw() method behavior

   raw() executes raw SQL without escaping, so injection risk remains.

3. Final Answer:

   Using raw SQL with string formatting allows SQL injection. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   String formatting + raw() = injection risk = A [OK]

Hint: Never build raw SQL with string formatting; use ORM methods [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming raw() escapes inputs
• Using raw SQL instead of filter()
• Ignoring injection risk in string formatting

5. You want to safely filter users by email domain using Django ORM. Which approach correctly prevents SQL injection?

user_domain = request.GET.get('domain')
# Which code is safe?
A) User.objects.filter(email__endswith=user_domain)
B) User.objects.raw(f"SELECT * FROM users WHERE email LIKE '%{user_domain}'")
C) User.objects.filter(email__endswith='%' + user_domain)
D) User.objects.raw("SELECT * FROM users WHERE email LIKE '%" + user_domain + "'")

hard

A. User.objects.filter(email__endswith=user_domain)

B. User.objects.raw(f"SELECT * FROM users WHERE email LIKE '%{user_domain}'")

C. User.objects.filter(email__endswith='%' + user_domain)

D. User.objects.raw("SELECT * FROM users WHERE email LIKE '%" + user_domain + "'")

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify safe ORM filtering for email domain

   Using filter() with email__endswith=user_domain safely escapes input and builds query.

2. Step 2: Analyze raw() and string concatenation risks

   Options B and D use raw SQL with string interpolation, risking injection. User.objects.filter(email__endswith='%' + user_domain) incorrectly adds '%' in Python string, not ORM pattern.

3. Final Answer:

   User.objects.filter(email__endswith=user_domain) -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use ORM filter with lookup for safe input handling = A [OK]

Hint: Use ORM lookups like __endswith, avoid raw SQL with user input [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using raw SQL with user input directly
• Adding SQL wildcards in Python strings
• Ignoring ORM's safe query building