This asks the database to sort the results by the first column. If it works, the attacker tries ORDER BY 2 , ORDER BY 3 , and so on. The moment the page crashes, they know exactly how many columns are in your secret database.
This type of command was immortalized in the famous xkcd comic about In the comic, a mother names her son Robert'); DROP TABLE Students;-- to wipe out his school's record system. It became the definitive cautionary tale for programmers: never trust user input. Why It Still Matters {KEYWORD}' ORDER BY 1-- hFdK
While the string you provided looks like a classic SQL injection snippet—often used to test for vulnerabilities by forcing a database to sort results—it actually highlights a fascinating "tug-of-war" in modern computing. This asks the database to sort the results
Here is a look at the story behind that syntax and why it remains such a legendary piece of code. The Anatomy of an Attack This type of command was immortalized in the