PHP 8 Web Application Security
PHP powers 77% of the web—and most breaches exploit outdated security practices. This course cuts through the noise to show you exactly how attackers compromise PHP applications and how to stop them before they reach production. You’ll move from defensive theory to hardened code in under 5.5 hours.
AIU.ac Verdict: Essential for PHP developers and backend engineers who need to ship secure code without becoming security specialists. The hands-on labs are genuinely useful; the main trade-off is breadth over depth—you won’t become a penetration tester, but you’ll eliminate the most common attack vectors.
What This Course Covers
You’ll tackle the OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities specific to PHP 8: SQL injection prevention via prepared statements, cross-site scripting (XSS) mitigation through output encoding, cross-site request forgery (CSRF) token implementation, and secure session management. The course walks you through real-world scenarios—malicious form inputs, cookie hijacking, and authentication bypass—with working code examples you can adapt immediately.
Beyond the classics, Christian Wenz covers PHP 8’s native security improvements: type declarations as a defence layer, named arguments reducing injection risk, and modern password hashing with argon2. You’ll also learn secure file uploads, input validation patterns, and how to configure PHP.ini for production hardening. Each module includes a sandbox environment where you’ll deliberately break vulnerable code, then fix it.
Who Is This Course For?
Ideal for:
- PHP backend developers: You’re shipping features fast and need to bake security in without slowing down. This course teaches you the patterns that prevent 80% of breaches.
- Full-stack engineers transitioning to security: You understand PHP but haven’t formally studied application security. This is your fastest route to credibility in security-focused code reviews.
- Tech leads and architects: You’re responsible for vetting team code or setting security standards. This course gives you the language and examples to coach developers effectively.
May not suit:
- Complete beginners to PHP: You’ll need solid PHP fundamentals (variables, functions, databases) before this course clicks. Start with PHP basics first.
- Infrastructure/DevOps engineers: This is application-layer security, not server hardening or network defence. You’ll get limited value unless you’re also writing PHP code.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does PHP 8 Web Application Security take?
5 hours 19 minutes. Most learners complete it in 2–3 sittings, with hands-on labs adding another 1–2 hours of practice time.
Do I need PHP 8 specifically, or will PHP 7 knowledge work?
PHP 7 experience is fine—the security principles are identical. The course highlights PHP 8’s improvements (type declarations, named arguments) but doesn’t require you to have migrated yet.
Will this course teach me penetration testing?
No. This is defensive security for developers—how to write secure code. If you want to learn offensive testing, you’ll need a dedicated ethical hacking course.
Can I use this for compliance (PCI DSS, GDPR)?
It covers foundational security practices that support compliance, but it’s not a compliance-specific course. Use it alongside your organisation’s security policies.
Course by Christian Wenz on Pluralsight. Duration: 5h 19m. Last verified by AIU.ac: March 2026.
