Input validation and sanitization in PHP - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is input validation in PHP?

Input validation is the process of checking if the data provided by the user meets the expected format, type, or rules before using it in the program.

beginner

What does input sanitization mean?

Input sanitization means cleaning or modifying user input to remove or escape harmful characters to prevent security issues like SQL injection or cross-site scripting.

beginner

Which PHP function can be used to check if an email is valid?

The function filter_var() with the FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL flag checks if an email address is valid.

intermediate

How does htmlspecialchars() help in input sanitization?

htmlspecialchars() converts special characters to HTML entities, preventing malicious code from running in the browser.

beginner

Why should you never trust user input directly?

User input can be incorrect or harmful. Validating and sanitizing input protects your program from errors and security attacks.

Which PHP function is used to validate an integer input?

A filter_var() with FILTER_VALIDATE_INT

B htmlspecialchars()

C trim()

D strtolower()

filter_var() with FILTER_VALIDATE_INT checks if the input is a valid integer.

What does the PHP function trim() do?

A Escapes quotes in a string

B Converts special characters to HTML entities

C Checks if input is a valid email

D Removes whitespace from the beginning and end of a string

trim() removes spaces or other whitespace characters from the start and end of a string.

Why is input sanitization important?

A To change the input type

B To prevent security risks like SQL injection and XSS

C To make the input longer

D To speed up the program

Sanitization cleans input to stop harmful code from causing security problems.

Which filter validates an email address in PHP?

A FILTER_VALIDATE_INT

B FILTER_SANITIZE_EMAIL

C FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL

D FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING

FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL checks if the input is a valid email format.

What is the main difference between validation and sanitization?

A Validation checks correctness; sanitization cleans input

B Validation cleans input; sanitization checks correctness

C Both do the same thing

D Neither is needed for user input

Validation ensures input is correct; sanitization removes harmful parts.

Explain how you would validate and sanitize a user's email input in PHP.

Think about checking format first, then cleaning unwanted characters.

Describe why input validation and sanitization are important for web security.

Consider what could happen if you trust user input blindly.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of input validation in PHP?

easy

A. To check if the input data is correct and safe

B. To store data in a database

C. To display data on the screen

D. To create new variables automatically

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand input validation

   Input validation means checking if the data entered by a user meets certain rules and is safe to use.

2. Step 2: Identify the purpose

   The main goal is to ensure data is correct and safe before using it in the program.

3. Final Answer:

   To check if the input data is correct and safe -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Input validation = check correctness and safety [OK]

Hint: Validation means checking data correctness and safety [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing validation with data storage
• Thinking validation displays data
• Assuming validation creates variables

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to sanitize an email input in PHP?

easy

A. $email = filter_var($_POST['email'], FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);

B. $email = filter_var($_POST['email'], FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL);

C. $email = filter_var($_POST['email'], FILTER_VALIDATE_INT);

D. $email = filter_var($_POST['email'], FILTER_SANITIZE_EMAIL);

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand sanitization vs validation

   Sanitization cleans data by removing unwanted characters, validation checks if data is valid.

2. Step 2: Identify correct filter for sanitizing email

   FILTER_SANITIZE_EMAIL removes illegal characters from email input.

3. Final Answer:

   $email = filter_var($_POST['email'], FILTER_SANITIZE_EMAIL); -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Sanitize email = FILTER_SANITIZE_EMAIL [OK]

Hint: Sanitize email uses FILTER_SANITIZE_EMAIL in filter_var() [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL for sanitization
• Using FILTER_VALIDATE_INT for email
• Using FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING for email

3. What will be the output of this PHP code?

$input = "";
$clean = filter_var($input, FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);
echo $clean;

medium

A. alert('Hi');</script>

B. <script>alert('Hi');</script>

C. alert('Hi');

D. Syntax error

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING behavior

   This filter removes tags and encodes or strips HTML tags from the string.

2. Step 2: Apply filter to input

   The input contains a script tag; sanitizing removes the <script> and </script> tags, leaving only "alert('Hi');".

3. Final Answer:

   alert('Hi'); -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Sanitize string removes tags = alert('Hi'); [OK]

Hint: FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING removes HTML tags from input [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting tags to remain
• Confusing sanitization with validation
• Thinking code runs or causes error

4. Identify the error in this PHP code snippet for validating an integer input:

$age = $_POST['age'];
if (filter_var($age, FILTER_SANITIZE_INT)) {
    echo "Valid age";
} else {
    echo "Invalid age";
}

medium

A. Missing semicolon after echo statements

B. FILTER_SANITIZE_INT should be FILTER_VALIDATE_INT

C. Using $_POST without quotes

D. filter_var() cannot validate integers

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand difference between sanitize and validate

   FILTER_SANITIZE_INT cleans input by removing non-numeric characters but does not validate if input is a valid integer.

2. Step 2: Correct filter for validation

   To check if input is a valid integer, use FILTER_VALIDATE_INT instead of FILTER_SANITIZE_INT.

3. Final Answer:

   FILTER_SANITIZE_INT should be FILTER_VALIDATE_INT -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Validation needs FILTER_VALIDATE_INT, not sanitize [OK]

Hint: Use FILTER_VALIDATE_INT to check integers, not sanitize [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing sanitize with validate filters
• Ignoring filter_var() return values
• Assuming sanitize validates input

5. You want to accept a username that only contains letters, numbers, and underscores. Which PHP code correctly validates this input using filter_var() and a custom pattern?

hard

A. $username = $_POST['username'];
if (filter_var($username, FILTER_VALIDATE_REGEXP, ['options' => ['regexp' => '/^[a-zA-Z0-9_]+$/']])) {
echo "Valid username";
} else {
echo "Invalid username";
}

B. $username = $_POST['username'];
if (filter_var($username, FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING)) {
echo "Valid username";
} else {
echo "Invalid username";
}

C. $username = $_POST['username'];
if (filter_var($username, FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL)) {
echo "Valid username";
} else {
echo "Invalid username";
}

D. $username = $_POST['username'];
if (filter_var($username, FILTER_VALIDATE_INT)) {
echo "Valid username";
} else {
echo "Invalid username";
}

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the requirement

   The username must only have letters, numbers, and underscores, so a regular expression is needed to check this pattern.

2. Step 2: Use FILTER_VALIDATE_REGEXP with correct pattern

   FILTER_VALIDATE_REGEXP allows validating input against a regex pattern. The pattern '/^[a-zA-Z0-9_]+$/' matches only allowed characters.

3. Step 3: Eliminate distractors

   The incorrect options use filters for integer validation, string sanitization, or email validation, none of which enforce the specific pattern of letters, numbers, and underscores.

4. Final Answer:

   Code using FILTER_VALIDATE_REGEXP with pattern '/^[a-zA-Z0-9_]+$/' -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Validate username with FILTER_VALIDATE_REGEXP + regex [OK]

Hint: Use FILTER_VALIDATE_REGEXP with regex for custom pattern validation [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using sanitize instead of validate
• Using email or int filters for username
• Not using regex for pattern matching