2025 Security+ Complete Practice Test – Jason Dion Course Preparation

A code injection attack occurs when an attacker is able to insert malicious code into a program or application that is then executed by the system. This type of attack exploits vulnerabilities within the application, allowing attackers to execute unauthorized commands, manipulate data, or gain elevated privileges. Code injection often targets input fields where unsanitized data can be processed, such as SQL databases, web applications, or scripting environments.

For example, if a web application accepts user input without proper validation, an attacker might input a SQL command that alters the database's behavior, leading to data theft, data modification, or other malicious effects. This tactic leverages a flaw in the code which does not properly handle user input, thereby enabling the execution of the attack.

While phishing attacks are designed to trick users into providing sensitive information, denial of service attacks aim to disrupt service availability, and man-in-the-middle attacks intercept communications between two parties, none of these directly exploit application-level code vulnerabilities to execute commands. Therefore, code injection is the specific type of attack that fits the description provided in the question.