Are there specific PHP functions or methods that should be used to enhance the security of a login script?

To enhance the security of a login script, it is important to use functions like password_hash() to securely hash passwords and password_verify() to verify hashed passwords. Additionally, using prepared statements with parameterized queries can help prevent SQL injection attacks. It's also recommended to implement measures like limiting login attempts and using HTTPS to encrypt data transmission.

// Hashing the password before storing it in the database
$password = $_POST['password'];
$hashed_password = password_hash($password, PASSWORD_DEFAULT);

// Verifying the hashed password during login
$stored_password = // retrieve hashed password from database based on username
if (password_verify($password, $stored_password)) {
    // Password is correct
} else {
    // Password is incorrect
}

// Using prepared statements to prevent SQL injection
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = :username AND password = :password");
$stmt->execute(['username' => $username, 'password' => $hashed_password]);