Monday, August 4, 2025

SQL injection

In GCSE Computer Science, SQL injection is a type of cyber attack where malicious code is inserted into SQL queries to manipulate or access a database without authorization. It exploits vulnerabilities in how web applications handle user input when constructing database queries.

Here's a more detailed explanation:

What is SQL?

SQL (Structured Query Language) is a programming language used to manage and manipulate databases.

How it works:

When a user enters information into a website (like a login form), that input is often used to build an SQL query to retrieve or modify data in a database. An attacker can exploit this by injecting malicious SQL code into the input field, which the application then includes in its query.

Example:

Imagine a website that allows users to log in by entering their username and password, which are then used in an SQL query like this: SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = '{username}' AND password = '{password}';. An attacker could enter " or "1"="1 as the password, which would make the query look like SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = 'user123' AND password = '' OR '1'='1';. Since '1' always equals '1', this query would return all user records, effectively bypassing the login process.

Consequences:

SQL injection attacks can have serious consequences, including:

Data Breaches: Allowing attackers to view, modify, or delete sensitive data from the database.

Bypassing Authentication: As in the example above, attackers can gain unauthorized access to accounts.

System Compromise: In some cases, attackers can even gain control of the entire database server.

Prevention:

To prevent SQL injection attacks, developers should:

Input Validation: Validate all user input to ensure it conforms to expected formats and does not contain malicious code.

Parameterized Queries (Prepared Statements): Use parameterized queries or prepared statements, which treat user input as data rather than code, preventing injection.

Principle of Least Privilege: Limit database user permissions to the minimum required for the application's functionality.

Sunday, August 3, 2025

Priority Hints

Priority Hints exposes a mechanism for developers to signal a relative priority for browsers to consider when fetching resources.

Priority Hints

Official Website

https://wicg.github.io/priority-hints/

Technologies

HypeStat provides information about the technologies used by various websites. It analyzes websites and gathers data about the programming languages, content management systems, web servers, and other technologies that power those sites. It offers insights into the technology landscape of the web and can be a useful resource for developers, designers, and businesses seeking information about the technology choices of different websites. By analyzing the technology stack of websites, users can gain insights into trends, popularity, and usage patterns of different technologies across the web.

HypeStat recognises 4129 technologies in 109 categories

Add-ons

Shopify apps (126)

WordPress plugins (188)

WordPress themes (142)

Analytics

A/B Testing (43)

Analytics (245)

Browser fingerprinting (5)

Customer data platform (23)

Form builders (6)

Surveys (17)

Tag Managers (12)

Booking

Appointment scheduling (49)

Reservations & delivery (31)

Ticket booking (1)

Business tools

Accounting (2)

CRM (56)

Live Chat (106)

Recruitment & staffing (21)

Communication

Email (42)

Live Chat (106)

Message Boards (39)

Remote Access (5)

Webmail (12)

Content

Blogs (33)

CMS (361)

Comment Systems (8)

DMS (5) Documentation (32)

Feed Readers (2)

Issue Trackers (66)

LMS (28)

Message Boards (39)

Photo Galleries (16)

Rich Text Editors (11)

Search Engines (40)

Translation (13)

Wikis (12)

Location

Geolocation (17)

Maps (21)

Marketing

Advertising (152)

Affiliate programs (48)

Content curation (14)

CRM (56)

Customer data platform (23)

Email (42) Marketing Automation (153)

Personalisation (106)

Referral marketing (15)

Retargeting (15)

Reviews (44)

RUM (28)

Segmentation (8)

SEO (11)

Media

Augmented reality (10)

Digital asset management (24)

Livestreaming (13)

Media Servers (3)

Network Storage (4)

Photo Galleries (16)

Video Players (29)

Other

Domain parking (2)

Fundraising & donations (26)

Miscellaneous (113)

Recruitment & staffing (21)

User Onboarding (10)

Widgets (157)

Privacy

Cookie compliance (57)

Sales

Buy now pay later (54)

Cart abandonment (11)

Cross border ecommerce (7)

Ecommerce (422)

Ecommerce frontends (6)

Fulfilment (1)

Livestreaming (13)

Loyalty & rewards (19)

Payment Processors (109)

Referral marketing (15)

Returns (11)

Shipping carriers (65)

Security

Authentication (25)

Security (69)

SSL/TLS certificate authorities (5)

Servers

Caching (16)

CDN (56)

Containers (3)

Control Systems (2)

Databases (16)

Hosting (56)

Hosting Panels (10)

IaaS (7)

Load balancers (4)

Media Servers (3)

Network Devices (1)

Operating Systems (21)

PaaS (51)

Performance (47)

Reverse proxies (8)

Web Server Extensions (14)

Web Servers (110)

User generated content

Comment Systems (8)

Content curation (14)

Issue Trackers (66)

Message Boards (39)

Reviews (44)

Utilities

Cryptominers (14)

Database Managers (7)

Hosting Panels (10)

Web development

Accessibility (27)

CI (4)

Development (37)

Editors (20)

Feature management (5)

Font Scripts (16)

JavaScript Frameworks (76)

JavaScript Graphics (49)

JavaScript Libraries (123)

Mobile Frameworks (7)

Page builders (100)

Programming Languages (29)

Static Site Generator (22)

UI frameworks (64)

Web Frameworks (99)

Top Technologies

Nginx
PHP
jQuery
Google Font API
MySQL
Apache
WordPress
Google Analytics
CloudFlare
jQuery Migrate: 10.40%
OpenResty: 9.69%
Font Awesome: 8.64%
Microsoft ASP.NET: 8.34%
Bootstrap: 7.52%
Lua: 6.94%
Windows Server: 6.12%
IIS
Google Tag Manager
Open Graph
HTTP/3
Yoast SEO
Google Cloud
reCAPTCHA
Facebook
Google AdSense
OWL Carousel
RequireJS
HSTS
LiteSpeed
YouTube

Performance

Performance libraries are essential tools that developers use to optimize the performance of their applications. These libraries help improve the speed, efficiency, and responsiveness of software, making them crucial in modern development. Some common techniques used in performance libraries include caching and lazy loading.

Caching

Caching is a technique used to store frequently accessed data or computations in a temporary storage area, called a cache. By doing so, subsequent requests for the same data can be served faster, as it is retrieved from the cache instead of re-computing or fetching it from the original source. Caching is beneficial in reducing response times and relieving the load on servers, ultimately leading to improved application performance.

Lazy Loading

Lazy loading is a strategy employed to load resources or data only when they are needed, rather than loading them all at once during the initial page load. This approach can significantly reduce the initial loading time of an application, as it avoids unnecessary loading of resources that may not be immediately required. Lazy loading is commonly used for images, scripts, and other assets in web applications, optimizing the overall user experience.

Popular Performance Libraries

React.lazy: A function in React.js that enables lazy loading of components, allowing developers to load components only when they are required in the rendering process.
Memcached: A widely used caching system that stores data in-memory to speed up data retrieval and reduce database load.
Redis: A versatile caching and data structure store, often used as a database cache to enhance application performance.
glide.js: A lightweight and performant JavaScript library for lazy loading images and videos in web applications.

Remember: Proper use of performance libraries can significantly enhance the speed and efficiency of your applications, leading to a better user experience and increased customer satisfaction.

The 47 technologies most used

Priority Hints

Autoptimize