What is a major risk posed by SQL injection?

The major risk posed by SQL injection is the corruption of application data. SQL injection is a type of cybersecurity attack where an attacker can manipulate an application's SQL queries by injecting malicious code into input fields. When the application processes these manipulated queries, it can lead to unauthorized access, modification, or deletion of data in the database.

Through successful SQL injection attacks, attackers can not only retrieve sensitive information (like user credentials or personal data) but can also modify existing records or even wipe databases entirely. This results in data integrity issues, where the information stored becomes unreliable or corrupted. It can severely disrupt business operations and can have significant legal and reputational consequences for organizations.

In contrast, other options do not accurately reflect the nature of the threat posed by SQL injection. For example, increased network speed and enhanced user experience do not correlate with the outcomes of an SQL injection, while higher operational costs could be a secondary consequence but do not highlight the primary risk inherent to SQL injection itself. The distinct focus on application data corruption helps clarify the specific danger posed by SQL injection attacks.