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Interview question · Application & API Security

The endpoint shows no SQL errors, but the code builds ORDER BY from a query parameter. Is it exploitable, and how do you fix it?

No error messages does not mean no injection. And the sort column is the one place where 'just use parameters' does not work, so you need a different fix.

mediumNewPreparation tags: Amazon, Microsoft, SalesforceUpdated Nov 2026

No error messages does not mean no injection. And the sort column is the one place where 'just use parameters' does not work, so you need a different fix.

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What if · the follow-ups in this answer

The answer works through 6 follow-ups like an interviewer would

A reporting endpoint uses parameterised values but lets users choose the sort column and table name, which are concatenated into the query, and errors are hidden.

  1. Does hiding errors make the injection safe?
  2. Why are ORDER BY and table names common holes?
  3. How do you fix dynamic identifiers?
  4. What about letting users choose tables?
  5. What limits impact if injection still exists?
  6. How would you fix the endpoint?

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UP NEXT ON YOUR JOURNEY
Next in this trackWe use an ORM everywhere. Explain how SQL injection still happens, including second-order injection, and how you would review for it.Next in this trackHow does injection work against document databases such as MongoDB, and why are type checks the core of the fix?Next in this trackYou are reviewing an API's CORS configuration that allows credentials. What mistakes do you look for, and what is the safe pattern?
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