PHP & Web Development Blogs

In his talk, “Writing Viruses for Fun, Not Profit,”Ben Dechrai (after making the viewer take a pledge to only use this knowledge for good and not evil) walks through how many viruses operate, and just how easy it is to build your own self-replicating virus in PHP.

The danger of many of these viruses according to Ben is that the most dangerous viruses often escape detection by not looking like a virus. Instead they encrypt their code to hide their true intent, while also constantly adapting and evolving.

Perhaps even more dangerously, they act like they’re benign and don’t actually do anything - often times laying dormant until called upon by the malicious actor.

Creating the Virus

What’s scary is just how simple it was for Ben to create such a virus, one that mutated ever so slightly as it infected every other file on the server. Opening up unlimited possibilities from scraping customer data, to DDOS attacks, to simply hijacking your domain.



But those attacks are just the start as Ben demonstrated how easy it is to write new files, delete files, eval() and execute foreign code - which could even be extended to accessing the underlying server itself if shell_exec() is enabled.

To add to the problem, Ben shares how challenging it can be to identify malicious code on your server as many of these attacks are far more sophisticated than the the virus he created in a matter of minutes - hiding themselves and often appearing as if they are part of the original source code.

Deploying the Virus

To drive his point home, Ben demonstrates how even seemingly secure systems can be vulnerable - as all it takes is one tiny misstep within your application.

He highlights this by building what should be a secure photo gallery - one that checks the extension and mime-type of the image - and even stores it outside of the public directory. He goes even farther by adding additional sanity checks with a PHP script that then renders the image.

After walking through the code and it’s security features, he then downloads a simple image from the internet. Opening his editor he quickly injects the virus (written in PHP) into the image and uploads it, passing all of the server checks.

Surely, since it passed these checks the system is secure, right? Ben loads the gallery to proudly show off the image - which is just that… an image, with nothing special or out of the ordinary.
Except that when he opens the image gallery files, each has been infected with the malicious code.

The culprit that allowed for Ben to hijack an entire system and execute foreign code, create new files, and even hijack the entire site? When displaying the image the file was included using PHP’s include() function, instead of pulling in the data using file_get_contents() and echoing it out.

Such a simple mistake provided Ben, if he was a malicious hacker, complete access to all of the files on the system.

Protecting Yourself

Security always exists in layers - and this could have been prevented by including a few more layers, such as using an open source library to rewrite the image, reviewing the image source before pulling it in, or again not giving it executable access by using the PHP include() function.

But what’s terrifying is how simple it is to hijack a site, how easy it is to get access to your system and private data, and how easy it is to overlook security vulnerabilities - especially with open source tooling and those that take plugins.

As Ben explains, sometimes the core code itself is really secure, but then you get two different plugins that when used together accidentally create a security vulnerability. That by itself is one of the most challenging as you can audit each plugin individually, and still not know you’re opening up your system to malicious actors.

This is why it's not just important to stay up to date on the latest security measures and best practices, but to be constantly thinking like a hacker and testing your code for vulnerabilities.

Learn More

You can watch thefull video to learn more how viruses operate, how to quickly build your own PHP virus (but you must promise to use it for good), and what to watch for in order to protect yourself, your customers, and your architecture.

Welcome back!, if you’re new please be sure to read Part 1 here.

This tutorial will focus primarily on Security and will touch on how to plan functionality.

Planning out an application and seeing progress regularly is a good strategy as you are most likely to complete your tasks in a timely fashion with this approach.

Ready?, ok let’s jump into it!

DISCLAIMER

We highly recommend that you follow these tutorials on a localhost testing server like Uniserver. Read through Part 1 here to look at our recommendations. These tutorials follow a phased approach and it is highly recommended that you do not make snippets of code live prior to completing this tutorial series.

Where we left off – the serious stuff.

In the previous tutorial we saved variables to the database.

It’s important to note that further steps are needed to ensure that data transactions to / from the database are secure.

A great first step is to ensure that all POST data (data transmitted after a user clicks a form’s submit button) is sanitized.

What we’re trying to prevent

One of the most common exploits is SQL Injection, an attack most commonly used to insert SQL into db queries. POST data that’s not sanitized leaves a huge security hole for malicious exploits. In some cases SQL injection can be leveraged to rage an all out assault on a server’s operating system.

A few examples of a basic version of what this might look like can be seen below.

OUTCOME

This might delete your database table

OUTCOME

This might provide access to the entire user table and the password protected area/dashboard.


***Please note that there are various types of SQL injection techniques and I will delve into this during the course of this series.***

So what exactly is sanitization and what does it do?

When sanitizing POST data, we are essentially looking for any special characters that are often used in SQL injection attacks.

In many ways, this tiny piece of code is the unsung superhero of many database driven applications.

Let’s secure that POST data!

Navigate to your backend folder and open index.php

Locate the following line of code:

$sql = "INSERT INTO content(title,content,author)VALUES ('".$_POST["title"]."', '".$_POST["content"]."', '".$_POST["author"]."')";

Ok, let’s get to work.

Based on what I mentioned a few moments ago, it’s clear that our SQL statement is vulnerable so we need to sanitize the POST data pronto!

The method I will focus on first is $mysqli->real_escape_string. This will escape any special characters found in the POST data.

Add the following just above your $sql.

$title = $letsconnect -> real_escape_string($_POST['title']);

$content = $letsconnect -> real_escape_string($_POST['content']);

$author = $letsconnect -> real_escape_string($_POST['author']);

Did you notice the use of $letsconnect? This was used because of our db connection defined in conn.php.

Our new query will look like this:

$sql = "INSERT INTO content (title,content,author) VALUES ('".$title."', '".$content."', '".$author."')";

Go ahead and replace the old $sql.

Phew!, we can breathe easy now.

Next, let’s lighten things up a bit by focusing on functionality and aesthetics.

A phased approach is the best way to tackle projects of any size.

I tend to jot this down on paper before creating a more legible professional spec!.

Typically the phased approach lends itself to logical progression.

For example, over the next several days I will go over the following:

* Account Access
* The login process
* The registration process
* The password recovery process
* Frontend
* The look and feel
* Menus
* Sidebars
*Main Content
*Footer
* Backend
* Content Management
* Add/Edit/Delete
* Security

This will give us a good springboard to delve into more complex functionality.

The aesthetic I have in mind will be barebones at first with clean CSS practices (this will make life a whole lot easier when we have to make changes down the line!).

Challenge :

Plan out your own CMS, think about the user interface and design choices you’d like to implement, and create a phased approach.

Conclusion

I hope this tutorial encouraged you to think about security and understand one of the most common exploits. During the course of this series, you will receive the tools necessary to beef up security while maintaining your sanity!

Next up

CodeWithMe – Let’s go templating.

Conferences are always looking for speakers - it can be hard to keep track of them all and the requirements they have. I wanted to put together this quick guide to make it easy for you to apply. Make sure to apply because as Wayne Gretzky said “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”!!!

phpDay 2019

First we have phpDay 2019 which will take place on May 10 & 11 at Hotel San Marco in Verona, Italy. Some facts about this call for papers:
*Submission deadline: February 4, 2019
*Submit via: https://cfp.phpday.it/
* For more info on the conference: https://2019.phpday.it/
* Twitter: (@phpday)
* Speaker package includes: Full conference pass (jsDay + phpDay), speaker dinner the first night, lunch, reception and activities included in regular conference.
* For speakers remote to the Area: A refund of up to €200 for travel costs (or €500 from US or extra-EU), 2 complimentary hotel nights (+1 hotel night for speakers presenting multiple talks or US/extra-EU) and Taxi fare from/to the airport.
*In Submission: make sure your talk title and abstract define the exact topic you want to talk about and what you hope people will learn from the session.
*Talk Ideas: APIs (REST, SOAP, etc.), Architectures, Continuous Delivery, Databases, Development, Devops, Frameworks, Internals, PHP 7.x / PHP 8, Security, Testing and UI/UX.

ScotlandPHP

Next we have ScotlandPHP which will take place on November 8 & 9 at Edinburgh International Conference Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland.
*Submission deadline: April 22, 2019
*Submit via: https://cfs.scotlandphp.co.uk/
* For more info on the conference: https://conference.scotlandphp.co.uk/
* Twitter: (@scotlandphp)
* Speaker package: Full conference pass, lunch, receptions and activities included in regular conference.
* For speakers remote to the Area: Complimentary airfare/travel, 2 complimentary hotel nights and we'll pick you up and drop you off to/from the airport so you don't have to worry about it.
* Speakers will be provided with a projector, a wireless lapel microphone and a screen for their presentation (size depends on the room). Speakers should bring any equipment they need to connect to projectors (VGA). It is also suggested that you reduce your dependency on the in-house internet connection as possible. We will however provide HDMI and Mini Display Port connections for all speakers on request. If you need something different or your selected talk needs audio equipment just let us know. We'll work it out.
* Looking for talks and workshops (November 8th).
*Talk Ideas: Virtualization and environments, Javascript, Alternate PHP run-times, PHP internals, Development principles, Security, Mobile-first design, Testing (unit, functional, etc.), Version control, User Experience/Usability, Building APIs (REST, SOAP, whatever), Continuous Integration, Framework-related topics, and Professional development.

Global diversity CFP day

In 2019 there will be numerous workshops hosted around the globe encouraging and advising newbie speakers to put together your very first talk proposal and share your own individual perspective on any subject of interest to people in tech.
* Twitter: (@gdcfpday)
*Save the Date: March 2, 2019
*Register here: https://www.globaldiversitycfpday.com/?utm_source=scotphp

CoderCruise

Then there is CoderCruise which will take place on August 19-23. It's a cruise that takes off from Port Canaveral, Florida and goes to the Bahamas.
* Twitter: (@codercruise)
*Submission deadline: March 3, 2019
*Submit via: https://www.papercall.io/codercruise-2019
* For more info on the conference: https://www.codercruise.com/
* This is a polyglot conference so looking for speakers on a wide variety of languages (PHP, JavaScript, Java, Python, etc.) and on various tech topics.

PHP Conference Asia 2019

There is also PHP Conference Asia 2019, which will take place on June 24-25 at Microsot Singapore.
*Submission deadline: March 8, 2019
*Submit via: https://cfp.phpconf.asia/
* For more info on the conference: https://2019.phpconf.asia/
* Twitter: (@PHPConfAsia)
* Speaker package includes: Speaker package: Full conference pass, lunch, receptions and activities included in regular conference. We'll pick you up and drop you off to/from the airport so you don't have to worry about it. Speakers' dinner on the first evening of the conference (24th June 2019). Transport to and from the conference venue will be included
* For speakers remote to the Area: 2 complimentary hotel nights and
we can consider providing grants to partially cover the air-fare for speakers who might have financial difficulties. This is on a case-by-case basis.
* Speakers will be provided with a projector, a wireless hand-held microphone and a screen for their presentation. Speakers should prepare their slides in 4x3 aspect ratio. Speakers should bring any equipment they need to connect to projectors (HDMI). It is also suggested that you reduce your dependency on the in-house internet connection as possible.
*In Submission: Make sure your talk title and abstract define the exact topic you want to talk about and what you hope people will learn from the session.
*Talk Ideas: Virtualization and environments, Javascript, Alternate PHP run-times, PHP internals, Development principles, Security, Mobile-first design, Testing (unit, functional, etc.), Version control, User Experience/Usability, Building APIs (REST, SOAP, whatever), Continuous Integration, Framework-related topics, and Professional development.

Cascadia PHP

Another conference to apply to is Cascadia PHP, which will take place on September 19-21 at University Place Hotel & Conference Center in Portland, Oregon.
*Submission deadline: April 15, 2019
*Submit via: https://cfp.cascadiaphp.com/
* For more info on the conference: https://www.cascadiaphp.com/venue
* Twitter: (@CascadiaPHP)
* Speaker package includes: Speaker package: Full conference pass, lunch, receptions and activities included in regular conference. For speakers remote to the Area: Complimentary airfare/travel, 2 complimentary hotel nights and we'll pick you up and drop you off to/from the airport so you don't have to worry about it.
Speakers will be provided with a projector, a wireless lapel microphone and a screen for their presentation (size depends on the room). Speakers should bring any equipment they need to connect to projectors (VGA). It is also suggested that you reduce your dependency on the in-house internet connection as possible.
*In Submission: make sure your talk title and abstract define the exact topic you want to talk about and what you hope people will learn from the session.
*Talk Ideas: PHP internals, Version control, Framework-related topics, Building APIs (REST, SOAP, whatever), Mobile-first design, Professional development, Testing (unit, functional, etc.), Alternate PHP run-times, Development principles, Continuous Integration, Getting involved in the PHP community, User Experience/Usability, Technology at large, Security, Connecting to Different APIs, Development Tools, Virtualization and environments, Javascript, Modern hosting practices, Language Features, Databases, Refactoring legacy applications, Running/contributing to open source projects, AI and AR, and User Groups.

Nomad PHP

Last but not least - this is an ongoing call for papers. This is perfect if you want to present from the comfort of your office, home or really wherever you are. It’s via RingCentral meetings and will be live and recorded. This is for none other than Nomad PHP.
* Twitter: (@nomadphp)
* Deadline: Anytime :D
* Talk length: 45 - 60 minutes.
* Talks should be unique to Nomad PHP and not available in video format online.
* Talk should not be recorded or made available elsewhere online for at least 3 months following your talk.
* The talk will be featured on our page and promoted via social media.
* Speakers will receive a financial stipend.
* Upon being selected we will reach out with further details.
*Talk ideas: AI & Machine Learning, APIs, Containerization, Databases, DevOps, Documentation, Frameworks, Performance, Security, Serverless, Testing, Tools, Upgrading/ Modernization, and more.
*Submit here: https://www.papercall.io/nomadphp
Now that you have some information - make sure to apply to all of these options! Can't wait to see all of your awesome talks you present :D!

In his talk Websockets in PHP, John Fransler walks us through the use of WebSockets in PHP.

While discussing bi-directional real-time application development, John notes that PHP is often not invited to the table due to its lack of native support. Of all the possible attempts to bring in PHP on this stage of real-time development, Ratchet, a PHP WebSocket library, comes closest. "Ratchet is a loosely coupled PHP library providing developers with tools to create real-time, bi-directional applications between clients and servers over WebSockets."* Ahem!

Today's dynamic world

In today's dynamic content world of the internet, it is required to serve real-time bi-directional messages between clients and servers. WebSockets are simple, full-duplex, and persistent. They work over Http and are a standard today.

WebSockets have compatibility with 96.5% of clients globally

There's a very high chance your client has the necessary plumbing to access your content via WebSockets. WebSockets gives the ability to have real-time data on to your clients without the need for polling.

To understand WebSockets, John takes an example of a Javascript client and Ratchet Server. Javascript has everything built in to allow access to a socket. For example, you can use the send method on a WebSocket variable to send a message to the server, or if you want to respond to a message from the server, you use the OnConnection method.

While on the Server, John uses Ratchet, which is built on React PHP. A server script is then configured and set up to run and listen on a port for incoming HTTP requests. For messages, JSON is used, and to find public methods, a router is set up. He then goes on to instantiate the server-side script in Ratchet.

There are four functions of a Ratchets message component interface that are used in this example:

OnOpen gets called when a new connection is made.

OnClose gets called when a client quits. It's essential to keep an eye on memory management, and essential to keep tidying up as you move through the code.

OnError gets called when there is an exception faced by the user.

OnMessage gives the text of the JSON message, which is being exchanged with the client.

For Initialization, Jason continues to walk through the example. He shows how one can loop through the clients, both inside the server and outside the server. Outside the server, it’s a feature of React PHP. On database access, and with traditional standard synchronous MySQL in PHP, what usually happens is that it forces the code to wait for the query to return a result and do nothing — Fortunately, with Asynchronous MySQLi, that is not the case.

John gets into the details explaining Variables, References & Pointers. He also gives a demo where a central site has updated information on the Bitcoin and ether prices. A client terminal reflects the last values. Now the client doesn't have to poll the server for new values. When there is a change in the Bitcoin or ether values, the server pushes down the client's update. No polling helps with a lot of overheads and gets closer to real-time.

Using Supervisord

For Long-running applications - Jason recommends running a supervisord, use proxy to expose the port, and add a site certificate. Supervisord keeps an eye out for the server running the service; it can be used to restart the service and log any service issues. Recommended proxies are AWS load balancer, Nginx, and HA Proxy. For scalability, use multiple smaller WebSocket servers and a smaller number of clients per server used and load balancing. If one has to support a chat feature to allow clients to talk to each other in near real-time, it is recommended to use Redis. The Redis server proxies the messages between the server nodes.

The talk concludes with John summarizing best practices on error handling and takes QnA on various aspects of WebSockets such as handling load balancers and asynchronous calls to MSQLi.

The presentation for this video, along with the code, is hosted at John Curt's GitHub. More info about John's current areas of interest can be found on John's Blog.

Watch the video now

Related videos

Your biggest asset is also your biggest risk... your developers

Your business thrives because of the incredible work and innovation of your developers. With simple keystrokes your developers can completely transform your business, add new features, and drive new sales.

But those same keystrokes can take down production, create security back doors, and put your business at risk. That's why it's more important than ever for your team members to be up to speed with the latest technology, especially around performance and security.

Of course, some things are easier said than done - after all everyone is super busy these days. So how can you help keep your team members learning, and putting your business first in the process?

Conference Parties

There's nothing better than attending a PHP or programming conference in person - the chance to meet speakers face to face, to network, the knowledge, and the hallway track. However, many companies aren't able to afford multiple (or even one) conference for their developers - especially ones that require airfare and hotel.

However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't still participate in these conferences. The good news is that roughly once a quarter Nomad PHP streams talks from a conference right to your computer. This means that your team members can all participate in a multi-day conference from the comfort of your office (or their home) - and you can provide this for your team for less than the cost of a single conference ticket!

Make the conference party even more special by providing lunch during the lunch break, bringing in party gifts, having give-aways during the conference, and planning activities during longer breaks for your team.

Since many conferences take place on Friday, not only are you providing invaluable training and an incredible work benefit, but ending the week on a super positive note that your team members will appreciate (and your risk assessment teams will greatly appreciate as new security practices and compliance practices are put into place).

Monthly Lunch and Learns

Every month Nomad PHP offers live virtual talks by the industry's top experts. With talks at 11am Pacific, and 6pm Pacific it's a perfect time to grab a conference room and order a couple pizzas for lunch (or if Eastern, grab some snacks and maybe a beer) and play the monthly meeting on the large screen.

Your team members will have the opportunity to take notes, discuss with each other, and perhaps most importantly ask the speaker real-world questions that directly impact your business, providing tangible solutions to the problems they are facing.

And since every Nomad PHP Pro meeting is recorded, your team members can refer back to the video at any time, watching sections relevant to them or digging in for more information.

Developer Book Club

Encourage your team members to share what they're learning with others, and help build each other up. Not only are you helping grow skills and ensure your team is following the latest best practices, but you're also fostering a mentor-mentality within your team - where each team member feels invested in the growth of other members.

With Nomad PHP you receive a new issue of [php[architect]](/books) each month and have several additional books available to read on demand - providing the latest updates and an invaluable resource to help your book club get started.

Developer Movie Nights

Sometimes we all just want to get away, grab some popcorn, and watch a movie. Similar to lunch and learns, give your developers a night or two where they can get together and watch one of the 250+ training videos available on Nomad PHP. You can even make it a movie marathon!

Whether it's pizza, popcorn, sodas, beers - your team members will have the chance to kick back, relax a bit, build team camaraderie, and learn valuable skills to help your business succeed. Essentially, turning a training day into a fun team-bonding activity.

Learning Path Challenges

Every company has challenges, and areas they need their team members to master. Whether it's DevOps and containerization, security, performance, management, modernization, or soft skills - work with your team to determine what skills will help them succeed and work with your team members to put together video learning paths.

Your team members can watch through these videos on-demand, go back and replay to refresh their knowledge, and work their way towards mastery in the subjects that will help your company succeed.

Certification

Show that you are invested in your developers by helping them earn Professional Certification. These certifications demonstrate that your team members have a fundamental grasp of the technology they are working with and understand when and how to use this technology.

With free certification exams included with Nomad PHP - you no longer have to worry about failed exams or expensive test credits. Your team members can take the exams at their own pace, discover the areas they need to improve, and take the exam again when they are ready. After all, shouldn't the goal of certification be to help your developers learn these skills and prove their expertise?

You can go even further with certifications by having a special company award, framing their certificate, or calling out newly certified developers at team meetings or all-hands.

Learning Incentives/ Rewards

Of course there are even more ways you can help your developers learn new skills, grow their careers, and build loyalty within your company. With Nomad PHP there are numerous ways for your team members to grow their skills, and numerous ways you can reward/ incentivize them - from rewards for the most active learner, to setting goals for learning new skills, to obtaining certifications, to attending streams, to watching videos on-demand. All of these are included with our Professional Nomad PHP Team subscriptions.

Want to learn more about getting a Nomad Team Subscription for your developers? Give us a call (844) CODE-PHP

Have more ideas on how to help your developers grow their skills or help employers make education more accessible? Please leave your ideas in the comments below!