Which term describes cleaning user input to remove potentially harmful content before processing?

• A. Input Sanitization
• B. Schema Validation
• C. Data Normalization
• D. Content Filtering

Answer: (A)

Input sanitization is cleaning user input to remove potentially harmful content before processing. This approach specifically neutralizes dangerous data so it can’t be used to exploit the system, such as preventing script execution or untrusted commands. Schema validation checks that input meets a defined structure, type, and range but doesn’t remove or neutralize harmful content. Data normalization standardizes how data looks, not its safety. Content filtering focuses on blocking or removing content according to policies, which isn’t the same as securely preparing input for processing. For example, sanitization would escape or strip risky characters or tags like a script element to prevent XSS.